Podcasts about even paul

The Committee is back for a segment of resolutions for the week talking about the need to upgrade our car horn options and Paul McCartney proving that even he thinks The Beatles are overrated.

In this concluding conversation, Pastors Clint and Michael explore how faith is the glue that holds all of the other Christian character traits together. In this conversation, faith and works are not diametrically opposed but rather mutually complimentary. Transcript 00:00:01:23 - 00:00:29:06 Michael Gewecke We are going to be exploring as our last mark of Christian character, the last pillar we're going to be looking at the idea of faith, and we're going to also be having a kind of concluding conversation towards the end about how these pillars might fit together and the ways in which we think about Christian character as being unique to our lives that we live out in Jesus Christ. 00:00:29:09 - 00:01:09:21 Clint Loveall There is some overlap between the idea of character and the idea of ethics, and Christians and non-Christians would agree on some ethical ideas, right? Don't hurt people. Try not to be dishonest. We we would agree on some of the pathways that we would call better and worse, but to the idea of motivation. Christians hold up those things not simply as good ideas, not just as good practices, not just as good ways to be students or citizens, but as a reflection of our faith commitment. 00:01:09:24 - 00:01:42:07 Clint Loveall And so even though we would have some commonality with lots of people and we could agree on things that are good for us, for Christian, our primary motivation is not that the thing in itself is good, but the one that it reflects is good, and we seek to reflect him by doing that, by being that. And so I, I do think while we stand on some ground together, we get there two very different pathways. 00:01:42:07 - 00:02:18:12 Clint Loveall And bear with me. We, you know, you give examples and you don't want to, well, whatever. Here we go. This is, I think, one of the interesting detours you get there has recently been another movie by people to put the Ten Commandments in public spaces. Right. And on the surface, there's nothing wrong with the Ten Commandments being known, but that's fine. 00:02:18:15 - 00:02:49:09 Clint Loveall But the Ten Commandments are not first and foremost good ideas to live by their covenant practices within the faith. And so when we treat them the same as be nice to each other, or we think that when we post them, they represent good ideas instead of covenant faithfulness, we're using them in a in a social. And I would. 00:02:49:12 - 00:03:29:12 Clint Loveall I would argue at times almost a secular way. And so I think those are the conversations that Christian people have to be. We have to be cautious with. Because, yes, the Ten Commandments are good ideas, but that's not primarily what they are, and that's never what they are to us. They are always more than that. And if we let them be reduced to instructions that go on walls, we have lost something in our understanding of what it means to practice Christian character. 00:03:29:17 - 00:03:56:24 Clint Loveall So again, don't go tell everybody Pastor Kuntz against the Ten Commandments. That's not my point. My my point is that underneath. Civics and civility and good practices, there is a layer deeper that Christians hopefully get to when we when we discuss character. 00:03:56:26 - 00:04:28:27 Michael Gewecke You can tell them, Pastor Michael, for the Ten Commandments, they'll get spicy. No, I want to we need to press on. But I just want to make one really short comment here about the Ten Commandments, which I think is is instructive because Christian character cannot be dissolved down to moral truisms, because Christian character is always rooted inside the reflection of Jesus Christ, who is a person. 00:04:28:29 - 00:05:00:01 Michael Gewecke It's always relational. We're always seeking to live into the character of Christ, into the world in which we live. So to put a thing on the wall and to point to people to it is a little bit like pointing them to the monument when the living thing is literally in you, it's to say, hey, look, we came to see the, the, the, the scaffolding of what a moral Christian ethic looks like when actually, because the Spirit of God lives in you, that Christian ethics should be living. 00:05:00:03 - 00:05:18:03 Michael Gewecke And so these things should reinforce for us what is true and how God expects us to live as covenantal people. But we should be the illustration of it in the world. People should see those ten commandments inside the people of God, because we are relationally living that out in the world. 00:05:18:06 - 00:05:49:19 Clint Loveall Yeah, the law itself is to point to something deeper, something better, something bigger. Michael's comment made me think, I don't have a nice way to ask this question. How many of you have been to a concert recently, or at some point in the recent past that was also attended by young people? 00:05:49:22 - 00:06:17:13 Clint Loveall Okay. Okay. Well, yeah. I'm on thin ice here, but if you have been to a concert where young people. It is incredible to me that young people will run and push and work as hard as they can to get close to the stage. And then if you watch them, they are watching the band on their phone while they film it. 00:06:17:13 - 00:06:56:17 Clint Loveall And as an old person, I think they're right there. You you're you're looking at a copy of the thing that's happening right in front of you. And I think sometimes that's how we treat law or prescriptions like the Ten Commandments. They are the embodiment of a Christ like life. They're not rules. They are the way to live a life that honors Jesus, and we should not allow them to become less than that just because they're also good ideas in other contexts. 00:06:56:20 - 00:07:25:22 Clint Loveall If that sounds a little crabby, I will admit to you it is because they are ours. They belong to the church, and and we need to be aware of that anyway. Oh, that's enough preaching. So we are talking tonight about the character pillar, that we would summarize by faith. And if you talk to people about faith, I would say that that falls in in two categories. 00:07:25:22 - 00:07:56:13 Clint Loveall The first is generally if you ask people what faith is, they're going to talk to you about what? Their beliefs. Yeah, I agree, I think one way that we talk about the faith is the collection of things we believe that we label Christianity, and when we put our mind to the faith, what we are doing is trying to ensure that we think correctly about following Christ. 00:07:56:15 - 00:08:29:06 Clint Loveall So these are where we run into words like our doctrine, our theology. Right? We want to have the right ideas. We want to have the right thinking. This is a major part of going to seminary. When you want to be a pastor and you do the seminary thing, part of what they're trying to do is train you to think, well, they're trying to train you, teach you what is our traditions take what is theology, take on concepts like salvation and sin and providence and justification and justice. 00:08:29:09 - 00:09:07:17 Clint Loveall What do we think about God in our corner of the church? And is that thinking both biblical? And is it Christ like? You might also add historical, traditional, but primarily the lenses we've tried to use. Is it biblical and is it like and? We are in a tradition that prides itself on being thoughtful and often for good reason. 00:09:07:19 - 00:09:11:18 Clint Loveall But it's not always the case. 00:09:11:21 - 00:09:35:29 Michael Gewecke Yeah, we know throughout history, and this has been true, by the way, in every age that we as Christians succumb to bad thinking, our theology does not always rise to the level of or beyond the, the weight and the anchoring of our times. Right? So the church has been guilty, over, over the years. Our thinking hasn't risen above racism. 00:09:36:06 - 00:10:07:17 Michael Gewecke We've struggled theologically with, with classes, and nationalism, legalism. I mean, all of the isms we've at some point, run our way down the wrong path. And the truth is, Christians aren't always good about consistent thinking. We are often guilty of being sloppy. Sometimes, quite frankly, we get called out on bad thinking and we just double down and say, yeah, what are you going to do about it? 00:10:07:19 - 00:10:36:13 Michael Gewecke Because we we find ourselves backed into a corner. And so one of the ways that we as Christians have to refer to faith is, is we have to, in the spirit of the Reformation, remember that the Spirit of God is always at work, both before we are reformed people, but we're also being reformed. We also always have to be open to that work of the spirit within us, and that becomes an active practice. 00:10:36:13 - 00:10:54:00 Michael Gewecke In the same way that we say that a doctor is practicing medicine. I don't think we have any doctors in the room today so I can make a doctor joke. I think right now you think it's okay for you to practice medicine. Just don't practice it on me. Right? Get it right on me. But the reality is, Christians are practicing the faith. 00:10:54:02 - 00:11:16:03 Michael Gewecke We're always practicing it and embodying it. The world in which we live. But truth is, we don't always get that right. But the the focus of church is that we take what we believe and we live it out in a meaningful way. And this is one of the most essential understandings for why church is an essential part of the Christian life. 00:11:16:06 - 00:11:44:10 Michael Gewecke Because if you believe that at its core, the faith is an individual adventure, then ultimately what you might believe is that it's all what's in your head and really what you do with it is a matter of your choice in the world in which you live. But anyone who has been a brother or sister in Christ in a church family knows because of experience and practice that this is the incubator. 00:11:44:10 - 00:12:11:06 Michael Gewecke It's the laboratory. It's the place where that thinking has to work its way into our living. It has to be in our hearts, and it has to live in and out through our mouths, our hands and our feet. And I think that that is one of the reasons we need to focus on faith at the end is because I think in some ways, faith becomes this bridge, that this character that we are seeking to live in, to all of the things we talked about. 00:12:11:06 - 00:12:31:00 Michael Gewecke Grace. Right. All love, all these things that we believe live in us. Faith is the way in which those things get integrated into our lives, and we lean back into them and trust that God's doing that in us. And that's what gives us the courage and bravery to live it out in a place with other people doing the same. 00:12:31:03 - 00:13:11:29 Clint Loveall So tonight we are going to focus on this second idea that faith not only is what we believe, but equally as importantly, faith is what we do. Faith is the beliefs we put into practice, and we are all well aware that the gap between what we believe and what we do, we call hypocrisy in the church. When I know what it is that I am to do, but I don't do it or I do something else, I'm choosing to live in a way that doesn't match my professed beliefs. 00:13:11:29 - 00:13:33:21 Clint Loveall And, the ancients gave us that word hypocrisy. It's the word they use for actors. People who played roles. So I say one thing, but I act differently. So we're going to focus tonight on the action and the case. We're going to make or try to make is that the collective of our Christian character is not an attribute. 00:13:33:21 - 00:14:05:26 Clint Loveall If faith is not just one thing in our character, faith is the foundation, the primary expression of our character. And I think we've maybe touched on this. This gets a little difficult in English. In English, faith is a noun, so it's something you do or don't have. We generally make it equivalent to belief, but Greek has a way of making faith a verb so that life can be faith. 00:14:05:29 - 00:14:31:14 Clint Loveall Work can be faith, family can be faith. And it's unfortunate that we can't really do that with our English word. The closest we could get, maybe, is that faith is the collection of things we think are true, and living up to them would make us faithful. So we might be able to talk about our faithfulness as an attribute of faith. 00:14:31:14 - 00:15:01:07 Clint Loveall But it's very difficult for us to talk about faith. Any. And I wish we could fix that because it's a wonderful advantage. I think, that biblical language has over English. In the Bible you can faith things, you can faith, relationships, and I wish we could say it that way. I think that would be helpful. The difference between faith and faithful. 00:15:01:08 - 00:15:31:11 Clint Loveall Again, this English struggle is not really a separation that the Scripture makes it. Even Paul, who is very clear to talk about faith versus works, understands them to be connected, understands them, to be both essential. Paul is not in those conversations saying that what we do doesn't matter. He is only saying that what we do is not the mechanism by which we are saved. 00:15:31:14 - 00:16:03:05 Clint Loveall We are saved by faith. But Paul himself writes, we are saved for good works in order to do good works. So Christians should stand out not just for the things we say or the things we believe, but for the things we faith, for the things we do. We should be faithful people, literally full of faith, connected and committed to the God who calls us. 00:16:03:08 - 00:16:40:03 Clint Loveall Because in our life, our attempt is through gratitude for what we've received to show the character of God in the character of his people. You know, our character as Christians, we are to display something of what we know to be true of God. So in the Old Testament, faithfulness is the equivalent of obedience, which is still in there, but in the New Testament, far more faith is our belief put into practice. 00:16:40:06 - 00:17:01:15 Michael Gewecke I think when we make the mistake of making faith a thing that we possess, we begin to lose our ability to make sense of the Psalms we make. We lose our ability to make sense of limitations and job. Because when a person is crying out to God says, how in the world are you letting this affliction happen to me? 00:17:01:15 - 00:17:27:21 Michael Gewecke When we experience grief, Christians feel this pang of guilt. Well, how am I feeling this way towards God? I have I lost my faith. You heard this before, and if that is the way we can sit, our faith that it's a thing that we can have, then it's a thing that is so fragile that we forget that faithful people can be angry. 00:17:27:24 - 00:18:02:12 Michael Gewecke Faithful people can have doubts. People who are facing God to be the kind of people on the journey of faith, and yet still finding ourselves in a circumstance where faith is hard. And I think that that is essential for us to understand that there's a real danger in trying to drive a wedge between faith and works. So trying to say that if I just have enough faith, then that is separate from what I do is is by definition, creating the hypocrisy is, by definition, playing a role. 00:18:02:19 - 00:18:31:29 Michael Gewecke Because what it means is we're not connecting the truth of what we say with the reality of how we live. So if our character is forged by what we believe, that is revealed by what we practice, and no doubt Christians should be people who are worthy of trust, we should be exemplars of moral living, practitioners of love. We should be the kind of people who demonstrate forgiveness in the world. 00:18:32:02 - 00:19:02:01 Michael Gewecke But we should not, at our core, be people who are looking at our lives from a checklist of moral maxims, like to say, the perfect student in your classroom who could get an A on all the character marks, good for them. That would. That's great. But a Christian has to look at that and recognize that if we're not living out a thing that we profess to be true, then it's not facing our character. 00:19:02:06 - 00:19:27:02 Michael Gewecke And if our character hasn't been transformed, then we're not yet within the relational connection with the newer transformer of the universe. Right? It so it it's a connection between what we say we believe, what's internal and the lives that we live externally. And so therefore, life together should be the highest witness of Christian character. The church should demonstrate the truth of our profession. 00:19:27:04 - 00:19:51:12 Michael Gewecke In fact, if you want to see that played out, I encourage you to keep reading on the text that we read for the sermon today in Corinthians, because Paul makes that literal argument. He goes on to say that people who have the mind of Christ are the very people who live their lives as if they do. And here's an accusation against the Corinthians, or that they're not living up to it. 00:19:51:15 - 00:19:59:11 Michael Gewecke And so the church becomes a place where the truth of our witness is seen, and the lives that we live together. 00:19:59:13 - 00:20:32:03 Clint Loveall And this is, this is a challenge for the church. I think we are at our absolute best in terms of witness when we do this. Well, imagine that the church is a place where someone could come and lose $1,000 and guarantee they'd get it back. The place where someone could show up hungry, and we would guarantee that they get fed or show up needing prayer, and we would pray over that. 00:20:32:06 - 00:20:56:27 Clint Loveall The idea is that as community, we would be a place where the character of Christ would be on display. And sure, none of us are going to hit that note perfectly. We are always going to be out of tune a little. But when the church is able to live into that reality, it is an incredible demonstration to the world. 00:20:57:00 - 00:21:25:21 Clint Loveall You may know this, the word Christian is essentially a word that means small Christs, miniature Christs. So, so that Christians, the very thing we call ourselves, is a reminder of the one we're trying to imitate, which we can do only through his grace. What Christian character is to keep primary. What would Jesus have me do and say? 00:21:25:24 - 00:21:59:06 Clint Loveall Who would Jesus have me become so that a Christian tells the truth? Not because telling the truth is important, it is, but because Jesus Christ said, I am the truth and a Christian loves their neighbor, not because that makes community better, which it does, but because Jesus said, love God and love neighbor. And so the end of Christian character for us is what we hear and see in Jesus Christ. 00:21:59:08 - 00:22:32:17 Clint Loveall And sometimes, sometimes that's hard to discern. I suspect all of us have had a moment where we've wrestled with what's the right thing to do. We've genuinely struggled. I have this moment. I don't know if A is the Christian thing to do, or if B is the Christian thing to do. That happens. But in my experience, it's rarer than we like to admit, because mostly the Christian thing is not hard to figure out. 00:22:32:20 - 00:22:56:29 Clint Loveall It's hard to do. And most of the time, I would say we generally know what Christ would have us do. We don't want to do it. We don't want to be honest. We don't want to love our enemies. We don't want to stay silent. We don't want to give or forgive. And and many Christians, as we know, get caught stepping outside the boundaries of the faith. 00:22:57:01 - 00:23:26:25 Clint Loveall And many more don't get caught. And many tell us how sorry they are after they get caught. But none of that is the point. Because the point is, what would Jesus have me be? What would Jesus have me say when we bend the rules and leave the path? My experience is that most of the time I know it, and most of the time, though, I'd love to claim otherwise. 00:23:26:28 - 00:24:01:22 Clint Loveall I did it willingly, and if it's not in that moment that I choose to change my behavior, apologize, repent, and confess, then I am not using Christ as my guide. I'm following some other thing. I have let something else set my course and I have lost sight of my goal, which is to be what I claim to believe. 00:24:01:24 - 00:24:04:23 Clint Loveall That is my purpose as a Christian. 00:24:04:25 - 00:24:32:24 Michael Gewecke I think the reformed tradition helps us here, and I don't want to be too autobiographical, but I think I do have a personal illustration of this. Rochelle and I both went to the same school, so she can tell you if I butcher this story. But while we were at Oral Roberts University, the the night came where we were all called to go to an emergency night chapel, which wasn't a thing that regularly happened. 00:24:32:27 - 00:24:57:15 Michael Gewecke And we got there and it was a whole fraught moment. And it was, lots of praying and and prophesying. And I at the end of that night came out that the president of the university had legal charges, substantiated legal charges made that he had been pilfering money from the university, millions of dollars flying U.S. dollars to the Bahamas. 00:24:57:15 - 00:25:30:24 Michael Gewecke And all of these shopping excursions and the response from the university in the in the wake of this major moral lapse was, this is an attack of the enemy. This is Satan coming after us, and that is a human temptation. We're all tempted to say, not me, something else. Right, Adam? And eat this woman that you gave me right. 00:25:30:27 - 00:25:55:20 Michael Gewecke The reformed tradition, I think, helps us tell the truth. It reminds us we are sinners. That's the reality. The call on our life is Jesus Christ, and it's his character we're called to emulate. One of the things I most deeply respect about our tradition is we build systems which aren't always effective, but we wholeheartedly try to build systems to keep people from going on. 00:25:55:20 - 00:26:19:24 Michael Gewecke The private jets. Because we know people are sinful. We know that too much power often leads us to positions of compromise. We know that our character is not always strong enough to stand in the face of what might be beckoning us over the border. Right. And I think one of the things that as Christians, we need to recognize is that the truth is our brokenness. 00:26:19:26 - 00:26:44:06 Michael Gewecke The gift is restoration, that the gift is what Jesus Christ wants to do within us. And it is out of that gift that our character could be transformed. And so I just want to point out, I think checks and balances is not against being people of character. It's intended to be the laboratory in which that character can be formed. 00:26:44:09 - 00:27:13:05 Michael Gewecke And I think that we sometimes miss the opportunity to recognize that our practice is not just to know what's right, but also to be living our lives in such a way that when others see us, they can see that goodness living in us and the more and more that Christians seek to decrease the gap between what we say we believe versus how we actually speak and act in the world. 00:27:13:07 - 00:27:48:03 Michael Gewecke That is when our witness becomes compelling. Because this isn't going to be a surprise to you. It was not a significant evangelistic moment on Tulsa television when they found out about the private jets, because it exposed the the motivation underneath the facade, the hypocrisy made a moment in which the truth of our sinfulness, which is true, was suddenly disarmed, opened because we claimed to have it all put together. 00:27:48:06 - 00:28:09:24 Michael Gewecke And the moment in which Christians compare. Ten pair humility with gratitude for Christ's gift for us is the moment we start experiencing Christian character in face that we can face, we can live into, we can demonstrate to the world because it's honest, and that's a place where we don't always start. 00:28:09:27 - 00:28:32:17 Clint Loveall One of my favorite conversations with the New Testament is that it calls us saints. The New Testament is comfortable calling every person who believes in Jesus, all the people in the church, you, me, saints. And I say to the new Testament, no, I know these people. I've, I've been in I've been in church a long time. I'm. 00:28:32:17 - 00:29:11:09 Clint Loveall I'm in the church myself. You gotta find another word. And the New Testament says, are you and Jesus Christ say, well, yeah, yeah. We try to be sure. And it says, then your saints, you are made right in Jesus Christ. His holiness is now your holiness. You are saints. And I say, wow, that sounds good. Thanks. And then it says, now, dang it, start acting like it. 00:29:11:12 - 00:29:41:24 Clint Loveall And I, I love the I love the idea that even when we talk about ourselves as Christians, as saints, when the Bible talks about anybody who believes in Jesus, it uses words that we don't own, but we aspire to. We are trying to live up to and sort of try and summarize some of this. The Christian task as it regards to faith is, I think, twofold. 00:29:41:27 - 00:30:12:17 Clint Loveall We have to work to make our beliefs sound. We should work on our thinking, we should study, we should read Scripture. We should interact with ideas to make sure that they're biblical. And they are in keeping with what we know of God in Christ. And we should try to guard our thinking from being led astray by bad ideas, even if they come to us in religious garb. 00:30:12:19 - 00:30:47:26 Clint Loveall Secondly, as Christians, we should put those beliefs into practice. We must strive to live them out to decrease as much as we're able. The gap between what we say and how we speak and how we act and what we do. Because Christian character is not some religious version of being a good person, Christian character is to pursue the character of Jesus Christ. 00:30:47:29 - 00:31:23:02 Clint Loveall The reason we call it Christian character, it seems to me, is because we've so often failed at being Christian. If we could do that, we wouldn't need to modify it. We would just call it being Christian, but we wouldn't need the word character. We would understand that being Christian is to have Christian character, but since we don't always do that, we think about it in terms not only of being Christian. 00:31:23:04 - 00:31:37:03 Clint Loveall What? Trying to be Christian in a way that reveals and portrays and in acts and embodies the character of Jesus Christ and in a. 00:31:37:06 - 00:32:19:20 Clint Loveall In an ironic way. Christians are. But you guys know I'm not a the world is terrible kind of guy. I try not to, but Christians may be the last ones who are going to care about character. The world is increasingly unbothered by lapses in character. If it gets you to your goal, if you arrive at money or power or whatever, winning and you have to take a shortcut, the world is increasingly not bothered by that. 00:32:19:23 - 00:32:51:21 Clint Loveall So Christians have to make sure that we are taking our cues and getting our guidance, not from the world around us that doesn't know what to do with character, but from the one within us who is the only model of what it truly means. Christians alone are to be guided by higher thoughts and better ideas, because Christians alone seek to make Jesus above all else. 00:32:51:23 - 00:33:00:00 Clint Loveall Our guide. So to be Christian is to pursue the character of Christ. 00:33:00:02 - 00:33:26:25 Michael Gewecke So I think this is where we enter into that conversation about the importance of the foundation of our character. Because at the end of the day, if the foundation of our character is that me living out some version of a moral ethic set of statements, and if I do that, if our foundation is, then it will go well with me. 00:33:26:28 - 00:33:52:05 Michael Gewecke Think of how quickly it changes when the rules change and your life isn't any better. When you do the things. Actually, when not paying the whole amount of taxes not only financially benefits you, but isn't going to be caught for this and this and this reason, suddenly the better choice for you and for your family. College is expensive these days. 00:33:52:05 - 00:34:38:00 Michael Gewecke I'm going to write. The better choice suddenly becomes to take the path that would have previously been called good character. And you say, in this case, what? I'm still living out of some version of character because I'm doing what's best for me, for my people. Right? So the foundation of character matters. And as Christians, when we come to talk about character, I honestly to emphasize Clint's point, we might be in a moment in which the renaissance of character is possible, but because Christians no longer have to discern and try to give words to people, the difference between what it means to be a person of an upstanding person who is kind and good and generous, 00:34:38:00 - 00:35:04:18 Michael Gewecke and the community thinks positive things about right. And then a Christian who stands on the foundation of who Jesus Christ is, and that that's the things that forms our lives and our commitments and that that moves us into a Christian community like we used to have to try to, to bridge that gap. Now we may just be the ones talking about character and in a way that may give us a new opportunity to say, well, why in the world did you do that? 00:35:04:20 - 00:35:51:03 Michael Gewecke That's what Jesus would do. Right. I mean, that's what Jesus would. I as I read the Bible, Jesus would have stopped to to to care for that person. What you do realize that that person voted for them, right? Yeah, absolutely. I do know that Jesus loves everybody, right? The way which Christian character calls us to live outside of ourselves, into the story of Jesus Christ's mission in the world has a unique way, I think, in this moment of helping Christians differentiate ourselves, because the reality is, at the end of the day, the quickest way for us to realize where our morals are rooted is the moment in which the ground under you shifts, and the 00:35:51:03 - 00:36:14:14 Michael Gewecke thing that is now good for you is no longer in field of the morals that you once had. The choice that you will make will determine the foundation upon which your character is built. Let me say that more simply, if Jesus Christ is not the center, then if the world says take the shortcut, it'll get you there faster. 00:36:14:16 - 00:36:46:05 Michael Gewecke We'll take the shortcut. That thing that your parents said character is the thing you do when no one's watching, right? Or Christian's character. Here's the thing that we do because Jesus Christ, alive in union through us, compels us so that we have no other option. The truth is, the world is increasingly having conversations about what you do in public and in private really has no bearing on the outcome of your life. 00:36:46:08 - 00:36:54:17 Michael Gewecke And if that's the case, Christians have a unique opportunity to give witness to a radically different way of living in the world. 00:36:54:19 - 00:37:12:04 Clint Loveall Let me end with what I think is a fun story. Then we'll do some questions. Conversation. If there's anything out there. One of my favorite, authors is a pastor, Methodist pastor who became a bishop, and as bishop, he had to go to a church one morning and he was there after church. They have a soup kitchen. 00:37:12:07 - 00:37:34:24 Clint Loveall So he's during the soup kitchen. And there's a gentleman at the sink that he recognized who was a prominent attorney in town. And he said, good to see you here. It's nice to see you here. And the guy said, yeah. And he said, how long you been doing this? And the guy said, 14 years or something, some long period of time. 00:37:34:26 - 00:37:58:29 Clint Loveall And the bishop said, well, I'm really impressed. And the guy said, good for you. Yeah. And then he said, you must really enjoy it. The working with the homeless to come here so often. And he said, enjoy it. Have you met these people? They're crazy, they're dirty. They talk to themselves. Half of them are on drugs. And the guy said, well, he didn't. 00:37:59:03 - 00:38:25:15 Clint Loveall He kind of stumbled easily. I why are you here? And the guy said, I'm here because Jesus put me here. Why are you here? And okay, on one hand, we could say that's a guy not having a great day, right? On another hand, that's a guy who Jesus compels to do something that makes no sense to the world around him. 00:38:25:17 - 00:38:56:03 Clint Loveall A rich, successful man elbow deep in dishwater, serving the homeless for no other reason. Not because he made him feel good, not because it was community service. Look good on a resume. Because he believed that his Savior, Jesus Christ is Lord, said go humble yourself and serve people who need serving the least of my brothers and sisters. I'm here because Jesus told me to. 00:38:56:05 - 00:39:23:19 Clint Loveall Why are you here? It's, there's a lot in there. I'm glad I get to speak there, but, there's a lot in there. Okay. We've, We said a lot of words. Hopefully some of them have made sense. What do you think? And questions? Comments? Anything out there? Yes, sir. 00:39:23:21 - 00:39:28:27 Clint Loveall Yeah. Thoughts about. 00:39:29:00 - 00:39:32:25 Clint Loveall Yeah. 00:39:32:28 - 00:40:13:12 Clint Loveall So we if if we if we're when you say we can't do it by works for me Lee. Everything hinges on what you understand it to me. If you mean be saved. If you mean receive the grace and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because I earned it, then that's 100% true. You cannot. If you mean live out your faith and show Jesus Christ to the world, then I say 100%, you can't. 00:40:13:15 - 00:40:41:29 Clint Loveall So I think that I think there is a difference in there, because that argument of faith and works was so prominent in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. It's really given us the idea that those are separate things. And I think that hurt us. I think when we had the argument because we were fighting, you know, the Catholic Church and and they were they were bigger on works and Luther and Calvin. 00:40:42:06 - 00:41:06:16 Clint Loveall I think in order to win that battle, we had to go a little far. And so we we then kind of got to the other side and somehow left people with the impression that because you can't be saved by works, you don't really have to do them. And that's that's not biblical. You don't have to do them to be saved. 00:41:06:16 - 00:41:33:27 Clint Loveall But once you were saved, they're not negotiable. It's non-negotiable to to live your life doing the things of Jesus Christ. So I don't know if that helps, but but from no sorry. You you cannot be saved by works. But once you're saved, there's work to do. That's what I'd say. 00:41:33:29 - 00:42:01:25 Michael Gewecke Okay, I'm not going to answer your question, but I have a fun illustration, so I'm going to give it, So recently I've been getting to go to a lot of music events, and, I think all of you know that I'm not a musician, so I get to learn a lot. And one of the things I've been learning this season, and this is in the vocal world, I've been learning about this thing called resonance and this idea of singing out in front of you. 00:42:01:27 - 00:42:20:25 Michael Gewecke And I've been learning about this because the judges were telling the high schools, this is a whole lot of different events. And the great thing about it was all of these different judges were trying to describe this thing to kids. I mean, they're all experts, right? So they hear it. They're trying to help the kids achieve it. They're all saying it in different ways. 00:42:20:28 - 00:42:42:18 Michael Gewecke So I'll give you an example. One guy, and maybe one of the less helpful ways was say, well, you got to imagine that someone drills through the back of your skull, and then that the air goes through and out. And the kids were, like, shocked by that idea, right? Because that's a very graphic image. And then and then another person said, well, you need to get that sound like the Death Star. 00:42:42:18 - 00:42:58:16 Michael Gewecke You need to sort of like, get it out here. And, my mother in law, who's a music professional and educator, I was talking to her about it and she said, well, that's often how I describe. I describe as you have to sing out like a unicorn through, like, the top of your head. That's the image I have. 00:42:58:18 - 00:43:21:11 Michael Gewecke Okay. All of these are different ways in which people are trying to put an experience into words. These kids might not have yet had the experience that they're trying to describe, but they're trying to all come at it from different ways so that the kids, once they have the experience, they'll know what it is, and then they can do it again. 00:43:21:13 - 00:43:44:03 Michael Gewecke That's, I think, the relationship Christians have to works is that the Ten Commandments aren't there as a checklist that you do that results in an outcome. They're a way in which Scripture and God and this covenantal relationship is trying to tell us, when your life is lived like this, you're going to start experiencing the thing that is relationship. 00:43:44:03 - 00:44:22:23 Michael Gewecke We're trying to get you to. So. So it's a way in which we can begin to get words from all of these different places in church history. The book is this collection of people's experiences with God that why do we do these things? Because it's like singing like a unicorn. And once you experience the freedom of Christian community, once you experience what it's like to live with integrity and honesty, once once you live your life in such a way that your marriage is held sacred, when you come to worship and you worship God as God and not as some Christian, once you start experiencing these things, the plane lifts off and you're like, oh, this 00:44:22:23 - 00:44:47:17 Michael Gewecke is what this is. But we can't quite put it into words that simple. So this is the best that we have. And I don't know if the illustration helps you, but it's not about did you did you have somebody drilled through the back? It's not about the image. It's not about what it invites us to. It's rather about once we experience the thing that's intended. 00:44:47:20 - 00:44:57:01 Michael Gewecke Now all of that makes sense because there's other people trying to describe it saying that's indescribable. That's my take on it. 00:44:57:03 - 00:45:02:28 Clint Loveall Lynn, let me give it one more shot. 00:45:03:00 - 00:45:43:26 Clint Loveall As a Christian, your works have zero bearing on whether you're saved or not. As a Christian, your works are the absolute best representation of being saved. The way you live is the best way to live out the fact that you're saved, which is not something you earned, but something you were given. So I think of, I think from our perspective as Presbyterians, that's pretty close to the proper way to understand the priority of faith. 00:45:43:28 - 00:46:22:25 Clint Loveall But the. Necessity, the importance of works. I'll back off on the word and assess the importance works. So, Yeah. What what else? Might make you not in our first trailer, but realize that the worst. And then boy hamper. Because that last part. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I don't know of anybody who does this better than Paul. 00:46:22:25 - 00:46:49:07 Clint Loveall In the second chapter of Ephesians, the eighth verse, Paul wrote, you are saved by grace, not by works, so that no one can boast, this is not your own. And then in the 10th verse, he says, you were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. So not not a of a verse after he said, you're not saved by works, he says you're to do good works. 00:46:49:09 - 00:47:00:11 Clint Loveall And again, I think in the Reformed Church we've unfortunately given the impression that we could separate those into two things. 00:47:00:13 - 00:47:28:28 Clint Loveall Our, Our choices and the way that we live is essentially a confirmation of the faith that we have. It shows evidence of it. It if I, I know I hate stupid analogies, but if I told you this building was about to fall down and you don't see me running for the door, why would you believe me? 00:47:29:01 - 00:47:31:19 Clint Loveall Right? I'd be saying the thing that I wasn't doing.

Today's Promise: Romans 8:28 When life doesn't make sense, God still does. In today's episode, we dive into the powerful promise of Romans 8:28 and discover how God is working behind the scenes for our good. You may not always know the "why," but you can trust the One who holds every detail of your life.   You'll be encouraged as we unpack how God uses every circumstance, the good, the bad, and everything in between to shape your character, grow your faith, and fulfill His purpose. Even Paul, in the midst of suffering, held firm to the truth that God is always at work for your good.   This episode will strengthen your confidence in God's plan and remind you that nothing in your life is overlooked. Stay until the end for powerful confessions to help anchor your faith today. Right now, God is working for your good and His glory.

Title: Unconditional Trust Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 FCF: We often struggle trusting God unconditionally. Prop: Because God's will for us is to trust Him unconditionally, we must trust His leadings regardless of our circumstances. Scripture Intro: LSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible staring in verse 16. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As we've pointed out, and as our sign out front has said and the sides for this series have shown – the first letter to the Thessalonians is tied together by the three cardinal Christian virtues of faith, love, and hope. In fact, we have seen Paul talk about all three of these virtues in various ways since the beginning of the book. And since he began chapter 4, he has analyzed faith, love, hope, then hope again, then back to love, and today he will get back one more time to their faith. Thoroughout the letter he has spoken about their work of faith and how their faith was not shaken even though they were afflicted. He talked about how the word of God is at work in them because they believe and are continuing to believe. He did say that their faith needs to be completed but as it is, they already have a faith that is working since they know and trust God's commands and walk in order to please Him. They do this because they know that setting aside His commands is not setting aside man's traditions… but God Himself. So today, Paul will do what he can to complete their faith. Paul will give them 8 more commands all designed to illustrate what trusting God, without condition, really looks like. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Faithful Father, You are worthy of our unconditional trust. You are all powerful. You are all knowing. You are all good. You are all loving. You are Holy. You are Just. You… are Sovereign. Because of who You are, we can and indeed we must trust You without reservation. But we are weak Lord. And our trust is feeble. We ask that You would use Your Word and Your Spirit's power to show us today how we can trust You. Teach us Lord from this, Your holy word. We pray this in Jesus', The Word's name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “What is faith unless it is to believe what you do not see?” Augustine of Hippo “Belief is not faith without evidence but commitment without reservation.” Leighton Ford “Faith is an activity of the whole soul bringing into movement the intellect, the emotions, and the will, and anything less than this is not biblical faith.” Iain Inglis [Slide 3] “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace. It is so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” Martin Luther “Faith, to put it simply, is the conviction that God does not tell lies.” Frank Retief “What is faith but obedience to the commands of Christ?” Salvianus “Faith is reason at rest in God.” C.H. Spurgeon “Faith is self-surrender to the great Physician leaving of our case in His hands. But it is also the taking of His prescriptions and the active following of His directions.” Augustus H. Strong These thoughts summarize what we will see today in the text of scripture. Let's look. I.) God's will for His people is to trust Him unconditionally, so we must always live in light of God's sovereignty. (16-18) a. [Slide 4] 16 - Rejoice always; i. Paul begins this next set of exhortations with three commands using 7 Greek words. ii. The first two words, are rejoice always. iii. Paul exhorts his readers, who are experiencing affliction from unbelievers around them, to rejoice. iv. What does it mean to rejoice? v. The word rejoice comes from the word for joy. It means to be glad, to be joyful. vi. Joy is one of those words that looking outside the scriptures won't actually help us understand it any better. vii. The Dictionary definition of the word is simply a feeling of great happiness or pleasure. 1. But when we pull such a definition back into the text, it is difficult to imagine that Paul would be commanding the Thessalonians to govern their own feelings to the extent that they are greatly happy…always. 2. Emotions are reactions and are rarely stable. For Paul to demand that people be emotionally, greatly happy all the time, seems a little farfetched. 3. It further disconnects us from clear teachings that tell us to mourn for our brothers and sisters who are hurting, and the example of Christ who wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. 4. Was Jesus greatly happy at this moment? Can you be happy and mourn at the same time? viii. But when we assess the greater context of the scriptures and note how biblical writers use the word joy, we come to a starkly different definition of the word entirely. ix. Biblical joy is gladness that transcends earthly circumstances, bad or good. To the extent that a believer can experience true joy even when they are unhappy. x. If I were to create a definition of my own based on the biblical data, it would be the following: 1. [Slide 5] Biblical joy is gladness and contentment rooted in a pure trust in God's sovereign hand to work all things for the good of the believer and His own glory. 2. Joy then is not an emotion at all. Rather it is a state of being that is rooted in trusting what God has promised. 3. Indeed, Paul lists joy as a fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians, indicating to us that joy actually comes from God and not from ourselves. xi. So having joy is part of our interior transformation as we are conformed to Christ. xii. When we insert this definition back into Paul's command here, we see that he commands them to rejoice always because he is confident that they are the elect of God. He saw the gospel come to them in power and he has heard of their example and their enduring faith. xiii. Therefore, to expect them to be joyful in every circumstance, is to expect them to live as though they are a true believer. xiv. Which brings us to the inescapable, albeit uncomfortable conclusion… xv. Real Christians are expected to rejoice always. xvi. To the extent that if a person claims to be a Christian and has lost their joy… we can't encourage them without also investigating whether or not they are true believers? xvii. Paul continues… b. [Slide 6] 17 - pray without ceasing; i. Though we translate this in three words, the Greek command is still only two. ii. We could translate it, “pray unceasingly” if we wanted to maintain the word count. iii. Just as joy is related to trusting God– so also is prayer. iv. Spending unending hours in prayer to a god you don't believe is able to do what you ask of him or is not good enough to give you what is best for you – would be a foolish activity for anyone. v. Old Testament prophets poke fun at pagan worshippers sending prayer toward their dead gods who cannot of their own power or will give anything to those who worship them. vi. And so, we must pray in faith, believing that God is good and rewards those who diligently seek Him. vii. Many people know this verse. It is only 3 words after all. viii. But I should point out that the word unceasingly can also be rendered incessantly or resolutely. ix. It is difficult to know whether Paul intends that they should be frequently praying or if they should be fervently praying, or both. x. Logic tells us that if we were constantly praying it may be difficult for us to accomplish much else. xi. But since I don't think that is a real concern for many in this room – I cannot dismiss the likelihood that Paul does refer to frequency of prayer here. xii. Generally speaking, the more you trust someone, the more you speak to them. And with the God of the Universe – the more you trust Him, not only the more you pray, but even the content of your prayers encompasses every area of life. Not simply praying for big wants – but even praying to praise Him. To thank Him. To commune with Him. xiii. Therefore, I must conclude that both frequency and fervency are validated in the scriptures. We must be a people of prayer. xiv. But I would wager that this is, more than likely, a glaring deficiency in most of the people in this room today. xv. We ought to pray first and act second. But so often we act first… and most of the time our first action is to worry and fret. And then down the line…maybe… and occasionally we also pray. xvi. One more exhortation before Paul breaks to give us a doctrinal foundation for them… c. [Slide 7] 18 - in everything give thanks, i. Three words in Greek. ii. So, we must rejoice always, pray always, and certainly we must also always be giving thanks. iii. If faith is a cardinal Christian virtue, then thankfulness is a necessary outcome for all who have faith. iv. How can you believe all that is reported to us in the gospel and the scriptures, how can you believe all that God says about Himself and us in His Word, how could anyone truly trust God and not be thankful? v. Yet some of the most complaining, grumbling, dissatisfied people I know… go to churches every Sunday and call themselves Christians. vi. If we truly trust God – there is never a reason to be ungrateful. Why? vii. Because we are always NOT getting what we deserve! ALWAYS! viii. Therefore, not only must faith produce perpetual rejoicing and incessant prayer… it must also produce unconditional thanksgiving. That in all states we find ourselves in – we are thankful to God for His promises that all things work together for good to those who love Him. ix. Finally, Paul undergirds all these exhortations with truth… d. [Slide 8] for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. i. Faith is not believing a list of facts. ii. Faith is trusting God so much that His will for you becomes reality. iii. God's will for His people – those who truly believe – is to be a people who always rejoice, incessantly pray, and are giving thanks in all circumstances. iv. But notice that none of this would be possible if we were not… in Christ. v. How are we in Christ? vi. By Faith alone we are united to Christ. vii. If we believe, we work out our faith in fear and trembling knowing that God provides the will and the power to do what He desires of us. e. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Once again, we are forced to look at the broader context to find the doctrinal foundation upon which Paul places these three commands. He hasn't left us rudderless though. He clearly states that God's will for those in Christ Jesus are to do these three things. This certainly points to the fact that these Thessalonians are trusting God's commands and desirous to do as He wills for them, which is nothing more than the working out of genuine saving faith. God's will of course, is for His children to trust Him unconditionally. And Paul points out three commands that apply that truth in every situation we face in life. We must rejoice, pray, and give thanks, always. Our circumstances do not determine how we live… Because our God is the same regardless of our circumstances. Our faith is not placed on our circumstances… It is only in God and His Word. May God's word be true and all else be a liar. Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] But Paul is not done issuing commands. He has given three which consider what it means to trust God unconditionally in light of all of life's circumstances. Paul will now follow up with 5 more commands, still considering how we must trust God unconditionally, but with a different emphasis. Let's look. II.) God's will for His people is to trust Him unconditionally, so we must believe and obey His instruction. (19-22) a. [Slide 11] 19 - Do not quench the Spirit; i. Immediately we are struck with a different formation of the commands given. ii. Not two words but four in the Greek. And one of them… is “not”. iii. So, this is not a command to do something, it is a command to not do something. iv. Some scholars insist that Paul is saying to stop doing this… but that force is not necessary here. We need not assume that this is happening in the Thessalonian church. It is possible – but it could just as easily be a warning ahead of this temptation. v. We also see a slight change in the nature of the command. vi. Paul is not pointing to characteristics or attributes that should be in a believer and how they should conduct themselves. vii. Now he seems to be pointing to something else entirely. viii. But the doctrinal underpinnings are still the same. ix. Because they are working out their faith – because they trust the Lord, because they are looking at His commands and doing them – which is what genuine faith is – there are at least two things that they must not do. x. First, they must not quench the Spirit. xi. Spirit here, because it is preceded by the article, seems to indicate that this is talking about the Third person of the Godhead. xii. If he were talking about the inner man, we might expect Paul to say do not quench your spirit. Instead, he says, the Spirit. xiii. To quench is literally to extinguish, to stifle, as if putting out a flame. xiv. But adding up the definitions of these words does not actually help us to arrive directly at what Paul means. xv. What does it mean to quench the Spirit? xvi. Let me tell you that scholars are quite divided over this. xvii. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to go into all of the options, so let me just tell you what I think quench the Spirit means and if you really want to know the other options, you can join us on Thursday night and we can discuss all the other available options. 1. Quenching of the Spirit is the ignoring or refusing to listen to the Spirit's leading. a. The Spirit primarily leads us through the Word of God. b. The Spirit also leads us through the wise counsel of other believers. c. The Spirit also leads us through providence and even our own desires. 2. So, to stifle the Spirit would be to ignore or refuse His leading upon our lives. 3. What are some of the things the Spirit does to lead or guide us? a. The Spirit illuminates the scriptures to us. Which are able to make us wise and rebuke, reprove, correct, and instruct us in righteousness so that we are equipped for every good work. (1 Cor 2:14; 2 Tim 3:15-17) b. The Spirit convicts us of sin. (John 16:8) c. The Spirit guides us to all truth and reminds us of what the Lord Jesus taught. (John 6:13) d. The Spirit also gave visions and leadings and directions to the apostles throughout the book of Acts. 4. What are some examples of quenching the Spirit? a. Walking away from the study of the scripture and determining not to believe or do what the Spirit has clearly revealed. b. Ignoring counsel from various spiritually mature believers who are saying essentially the same thing – so that you can do what you want. c. Ignoring or refusing subtle impulses to do good and God honoring things. d. While it may be true that not all voices that whisper to you are God's Spirit… i. Certainly, a demon or your flesh would not advise you to share the gospel with someone on the side of the road, right? ii. Certainly, a demon or your flesh would not advise you to help a widow or orphan in their distress, right? iii. Certainly, a demon or your flesh is not whispering for you to drop everything and pray for someone, right? e. [Slide 12] We must listen closely and obey the Spirit's leading in our lives. Again, this happens PRIMARILY through His illuminating the scriptures to us. xviii. A person who trusts God unconditionally will listen for and obey the leading and direction of the Spirit on their lives. xix. This command then, is generally pointing to the Spirit's leading… but then Paul gets specific. b. [Slide 13] 20 - do not despise prophecies, i. This point then, is actually a subpoint of what it means not to quench the Spirit. Why? ii. One way that the Spirit clearly leads us is through the preached Word of God. iii. Before we go on to talk about what this means, we need to go down a rather large rabbit trail in order to address how another branch of Christendom misapplies this command. iv. Some in the charismatic movement have used this verse to legitimize and even push back against those who would be critical of their claim at having received new revelation from God. v. I think a fair treatment of this text actually does lend itself to their interpretation. Now before you throw tomatoes or burn me at the stake let me explain. 1. Paul wrote this in the early AD 50s. 2. The New Testament canon is not complete yet. 3. In fact, the only books written up to this point are James and Galatians. That's it. 4. For the next 40 years, the New Testament will continue to be written by Paul himself along with Luke, Matthew, Mark, John, James, an unknown writer of Hebrews, Peter and Jude. vi. So, Paul telling the Thessalonians not to despise prophesies is absolutely telling them not to despise God's Word coming in new revelation both concerning what has already been written and what has yet to come. vii. But there are two pieces of information that cut against the Charismatic's claim that this verse should prevent people from despising their prophesies. 1. First, the list of those who had yet to write their books in the New Testament, to which Paul is referring, is a rather elite list made up of either apostles or those who are intimately connected to the apostles. a. This boils down to how the church is apostolic. b. The Nicaean creed states that there is one holy catholic and apostolic church. c. As we've stated before, catholic simply means universal and is not actually referring to the denomination of Roman Catholicism. d. But some denominations believe that for this creed to be true there must be a succession of apostleship. e. Meaning that when one apostle dies, another must take their place. f. And the church must continue to submit to the teachings of that apostle as if they were teachings from Christ Himself. g. However, this view is wrong on every point. h. It is not true that the creed insists this be so, nor is it true that the scriptures teach that there is a succession of the apostleship, nor is it true that what the apostles taught ought to be unconditionally accepted as Jesus' words. i. The creed merely insists that the church is apostolic. Meaning it is formed upon the teachings of the apostles. This actually cuts against the succession of apostleship and new revelation since the creed implies that this teaching is already established and set by the time of the creed's writing. ii. As for apostolic succession, when Judas Iscariot was being replaced, there were some key qualifications that they looked for in his replacement. First, that they were a follower of Christ and second that they were able to bear witness to the risen Christ having seen Him after His resurrection. 1. Some might say, “yes but Paul never saw the risen Christ except in a vision, and James and Barnabas were never commissioned by Jesus yet they inherited the title, apostle.” 2. This is actually proving my point. What about Luke, Stephen, Apollos, Pricilla, Aquilla, Phillip, Mark, Timothy, Titus, or any number of other named and influential people in the New Testament that are NOT given the title apostle? 3. And where do the scriptures indicate to us that Paul, James, and Barnabas replaced dead members of the original 12? 4. The fact of the matter is – that the scriptures do not indicate that to us at all. 5. Clearly apostleship was something only gifted to a select few for a specific purpose. 6. Meaning what? 7. There are no apostles today nor was it ever God's intention to continue the apostolic office. 8. There is no one alive that we must listen to as if the very words they spoke were directly from God. 9. Instead, the bible becomes our final authority. viii. So that is the first item that the Charismatics must square with if they are to use this verse… ix. So, what does this command mean for us if we have no new revelation coming to us? x. Well, prophesy does not ONLY include the prediction of the future or new revelation. xi. All you have to do is go back to the Old Testament and read two or three of the minor prophets. Eventually you come to realize that they not only say similar things, but that most of what they are saying is referring back to what God has already said. xii. So just like walking away from the study of the scriptures, ignoring what the Spirit revealed, would be quenching the Spirit so also walking out of a sermon dismantling everything that was said and ignoring or refusing to obey what is clearly from God… is despising prophesy. xiii. Those who truly trust the Lord listen to the Spirit and also those whom God has gifted and anointed to preach His Word. xiv. But I said before that there are two pieces of information that cut against the Charismatics' claim, and that even the apostles did not expect people to unconditionally believe what they taught as Jesus' words. Let me prove this by going to verse 21. c. [Slide 13] 21 - but examine all things; i. Even Paul himself did not expect unconditional trust in what he preached to everyone. ii. When the Bereans took what he said and sought the scriptures to test it – they were not rebuked for their action. iii. Indeed, in Galatians Paul concedes that even if he would come and teach a different gospel, that they should not listen to him. iv. So, the apostles did not lean on their own authority or revelation but only on what Christ had given. v. And to that end – all teaching and all leadings must be examined. They must be tested. vi. When you study the scriptures… do not lean on your own understanding. vii. Every week I test what I think the text says against what Christians have thought the text said for the last 2000 years. And you know what sometimes, even in this sermon… I had to alter what I think. Why? Because no one else thinks it. viii. This isn't an echo chamber – this is preserving the doctrines that have been handed down to us from Christ to His apostles and now to us by God's preserved Word. ix. We must strive to examine all teachings and leadings. x. And therefore, we are right to look suspiciously on those who claim to have a new Word from the Lord. Not just because we believe that doesn't happen… but also because it is right to examine everything that is said. xi. Then what do we do with them? d. [Slide 14] hold fast to that which is good; i. If they are good teachings… if they conform to what Christ has said and what the whole of the scriptures reveal. ii. If the leadings are from the Spirit of God and directing us in paths of righteousness. iii. If the preacher expounds the text and reveals what God has clearly said… iv. Then we must hold fast to that which is good. v. We must cling tightly to what has been shown to be God's Word and the Spirit's clear leading. vi. But what if after examination, it doesn't seem to be what God has revealed? e. [Slide 15] 22 - abstain from every form of evil. i. We must cast aside everything that is evil. ii. If it is not of God – then who else could it be from? It is either of Satan or of men. iii. If it is of Satan, then it is evil. iv. If it is of men, then it could be amoral… or it could be evil. v. So, if we determine that what is being whispered in our ear, or preached from the pulpit, is contradictory to what God has taught in the scriptures… we must abstain or keep away from, be distant from it. vi. Flee it. vii. Now some translations say “abstain from every appearance of evil.” This is one potential meaning for this word. viii. The implication would be that everything that even appears to be evil should be fled from. ix. Preachers have, for years, bound the consciences of Christians by the misuse of this verse. x. You shouldn't have ear buds in because it might appear to others that you are listening to bad music. You must not go to the movie theater because it may appear that you are going to a trashy movie. You must not go into a bar or restaurant with a bar because it may appear that you are going to get drunk. xi. However, when we look at this in the context of this passage and the rest of the scriptures, we cannot allow this interpretation to stand. 1. Paul is clearly talking about prophesies and not Christian lifestyles. 2. So, if this word means appearances, a more accurate interpretation would be that when we cannot conclusively prove something is contradictory to God's Word, but it seems off or new or something we've never heard before… we should keep away from it until it becomes clearer. 3. This was essentially Gamaliel's wise advice concerning the Jesus sect. He said to the Sanhedrin that if it is from men, it will die out but if it is from God they don't want to be caught opposing it. So, he advocated releasing Peter and John and waiting to see what happens. 4. When a teaching seems odd but does not directly contradict the scriptures – we should keep away from it and wait it out. xii. However, there is good reason to NOT interpret the word as “appearances” and rather as “kinds” or “forms” as most modern translations render it. xiii. In this Paul is teaching that when we find a teaching that contradicts what God has already said, and is therefore evil, we must abstain from it or keep away from it – regardless of what form that evil teaching takes. xiv. Even evil teaching that does not directly impact the gospel of Jesus Christ but still contradicts what God has said… must be abstained from or fled. xv. One example of this might be the teaching that Christians are not permitted to marry. They must remain celibate. This does not directly impact the gospel – but it is still a doctrine that must be rejected and fled from. f. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: Paul strives to help the Thessalonians work out their faith by completing what is lacking in it. They must trust God unconditionally and to do that they must believe and obey His instruction. We too must obey God's leadings and instructions through His Spirit. We must be sure not to stifle or despise what He teaches us and instead listen and obey. Certainly, we must test to make sure that these things are from God and if not, we must flee them. But all that is from God we must hear and heed. This is trusting God unconditionally. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that informs and corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] The Thessalonians have been elected by God and are working out their faith by knowing and trusting in God's commands to the extent that they walk in them. Therefore, Paul gives them 8 exhortations here to help them continue to trust God unconditionally. The first three deal with how they should carry themselves in all of life's circumstances. If they truly trust God unconditionally, they will always rejoice, they will incessantly pray, and they will continue to give thanks regardless of the circumstances. The next five commands reveal how they should trust God by hearing and heeding His instructions and leadings. They should not quench the Holy Spirit or despise prophesies but should examine all teachings and hold fast to that which is good and keep away from evil teachings in all forms. But how do these exhortations press against us today? How can we apply this specifically to us? 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” God's will for His people is to trust Him unconditionally. a. Why was man created? b. Why did God choose to save some and unite them with His Son? c. The bible isn't silent. Man in general was created to glorify God. And the elect of God are saved so that for all eternity we will glorify God for His grace. d. God is not only the creator, He is all powerful, He is all knowing, and He cannot be told no, His will cannot be thwarted. His decrees cannot be undone. e. What does that mean? f. God always gets what He has willed. g. This doesn't mean that God never allows men to disobey Him. But it does mean that somehow man's disobedience is actually part of God's will for the world. It contributes to His ultimate plan for His creation. h. Why am I pointing out all these things? i. Mostly to show that it is absolutely foolish for anyone who claims to be God's child, to doubt Him. j. God is wholly worthy of our absolute, explicit, and unconditional trust. What He has promised, He will do. What He has decreed, will be. k. Not one single molecule in all of creation is able to alter His decrees or His will. l. If you believe in this God, if you are united to Christ by faith – then nothing should be able to shake our trust in this God. m. But talk is cheap isn't it. And trust is not just lip-service. n. What does unconditional trust in God mean for our lives? 2.) [Slide 19] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop allowing our circumstances to dictate how we live. a. Paul commands the Thessalonians to always rejoice, incessantly pray, and give thanks in all circumstances. b. In other words – what we are currently experiencing in life should have absolutely no bearing on how we respond. Why? c. Because we are not trusting in our circumstances going the way we want them to. We are trusting in a God who is in absolute control over all things, to the extent that even if everything around us is burning to the ground – we can rejoice, pray, and give thanks. Because God has not changed! d. But friends, people who call themselves Christians are often some of the most negative, joyless, anxious fearful, complaining, bunch of malcontents that you have ever met. e. God forbid this be true of us! Let it never be CBC! f. The first thing we must recognize regarding all of this, is that this is primarily a faith issue and NOT a behavioral issue. g. The sermon today is NOT telling you to buck up, say your prayers, and count your blessings. h. The sermon today is challenging you to get a better picture of the All powerful, all knowing, All good, all loving, Holy and Perfect God, who rules the whole of His creation, and who cannot be thwarted in anything He has determined to do, who cannot lie, and always keeps His promises. i. My friends – FAITH is the issue here. j. Why are you negative? Why are you joyless? Because you don't trust God. That why. k. Why are you anxious? Why do you fear? Because you don't trust God. l. Why do you complain? Why aren't you content? Because you don't trust God. m. Don't go home and try to be more joyful, or set your alarms to pray every hour, or build a habit of giving thanks WITHOUT FIRST… reflecting on the character and nature of this Holy God we serve! n. For when you get a good look at who God is… I'd wager that joy, prayer, and thanksgiving will be all the more achievable to us. For how can we not trust this God unconditionally? How can we not rejoice, when this God has got us? How can we not pray, when this God invites us into His throne room? How can we not be thankful, when this God has promised our good in all things? o. But trusting God is not just about our lifestyles – it is about listening for His leading… 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must listen for God's leading and instruction and obey it. a. Part of trusting God is hearing and heeding His direction upon our lives. b. Perhaps you've played the game where you and a partner work together to get through a maze. The catch? One of you is blindfolded, and the other is not. c. Listening to your partner's commands comes down to trust. Do you trust them to lead you safely through the maze. d. Although a crude example, this is a picture of what it means to trust God unconditionally. e. He has given us His Spirit. f. His work, among other things, is to guide and lead us into the paths of righteousness. He reveals the truth to us and convicts us of sin. He leads us and directs us to wisdom helping us to know God's will for our lives. g. We must let the Spirit burn in us. We must not douse Him by refusing to obey His leading. h. Instead, we must listen. We must heed what He shows us in God's Word, or through wise counsel, or through promptings. i. But one other aspect of this is that we must listen and heed the preaching of the Word of God too. The Spirit of God speaks through the preached word of God. Not that all that preacher says is the Spirit speaking – but that the Spirit actively impresses upon believer's hearts, God's guidance and conviction through the preached Word. j. So love preaching that hurts. Love preaching that is faithful in expositing the Word of God. Love preaching that pokes and pushes, that destroys and builds up, that edifies and encourages, that spurs and leads. k. Of course we must test everything. l. And in order to truly test everything – we must be well-versed in the teachings of the scriptures. We must be catechized. m. But if it is from God – cling to it like oxygen. n. If not, flee it like the plague. o. But again, all this comes down to whether or not you trust the Lord. p. Trust in God means listening for His leading and following it. q. If you don't… stop claiming you trust Him. 4.) [Slide 21] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God's Sovereignty is not just about salvation – it is the basis for our unconditional trust. a. I've said it before, and I'll say it again… the beauty of the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty is not actually in the doctrines of salvation. b. I certainly hold to that and if you don't – you should keep searching the scriptures… because it is absolutely true. c. But the beauty of this doctrine is actually that is serves as the basis for our unconditional trust. d. If something can undo God's promises or His will… then we can never really trust God. e. God promises that all things work together for our good – but if someone uses their free will to sin, and God has no control over their free will, and that person takes something from us… how could we ever imagine that this is for our good? How could God guarantee that it is for our good if He couldn't stop them from doing it? f. But if God is in absolute control, even over the wills of men, and allowed this person to take something from us – we can still rest assured that God is working it out for our good. g. God's sovereignty over everything is the only sure foundation we have to trust Him without condition. h. In fact, if God isn't actually in control of everything – we probably shouldn't trust Him unconditionally. Because He is making promises He cannot keep. i. But take comfort in the fact that God is in absolute control. And thus, all His promises to us – are certain. 5.) [Slide 22] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The world is confused by people who are always joyful, always praying, always thankful, and always living their life by an ancient book that still speaks to them. But maybe you've moved from confusion… to longing. a. Let me tell you the world is not always rejoicing. There is so much depression and despair in the world, and I don't see it changing any time soon. b. We can't accuse the world of always praying either. Oh sure someone will comment, thoughts and prayers, but the dirty little secret is that most of the time their thoughts and prayers, occurred right then in the message they sent you. c. No, the world is generally an anxious place. Last year alone the world collectively spent around 23 billion dollars on anxiety and depression treatments. 5 billion of that was in the United States alone. d. It is clear that rather than rejoicing or praying to a God who is faithful – the world prefers to live in depression, fear and worry and pay people money to try to get them out. e. And no the world is anything but a thankful place. Everyone is complaining about something. Everyone is discontent about something. No one is happy with what they have. They are always looking for one more dollar. One more car. One more job. f. But perhaps you know Christians who seem like they are always rejoicing. Instead of worrying and fretting they are always praying and trusting the God they pray to. Perhaps you know a Christian who, rather than always looking for what more they can get, they are always thankful and content with what they have. g. To most people – that is really strange. Most people see someone like that as… slightly off their rocker. h. But maybe you are starting to see that this is what trusting in the Living God does to people? i. And maybe… you want that too. j. I'd love to introduce you to our God who is worthy of unconditional trust. Talk to me, or to another Elder before you leave today. Let me close with a Palm Sunday prayer by the church father Ephriam The Syrian. Praise him who comes, and is to come! Hosanna to the Father's mighty Son, here and in the highest. Praise him who once humbled himself in love to save our human race. Praise him for his Father's boundless grace! Who would not stop to see and wonder at how low your love bent down? A donkey once carried you, here on the earth. You, in your might and holiness! And in your pity for us, you serve and bless our fallen race. This day is joy-filled for all creation. My glad soul will sing a song of praise, and wave branches of thanksgiving that were once just palm branches, thrown in front of you by children. Now we own your hidden majesty, and we cry with those children: Hosanna to the Son of David! And in the name of this Son of David, God's people say… Amen! Benediction: May the Lord guide you always; May you be like a well-watered garden, Like a spring whose waters never fail. When you cry for help, may the Lord always say, 'Here am I' Until we meet again… go in peace.

Ever walk into a boardroom, step behind a pulpit, or sit at the head of a leadership table and quietly wonder, What am I doing here? In Episode #682, When Christian Leaders Battle Impostor Syndrome, we confront a struggle many leaders experience but few openly admit—the persistent fear of being exposed as inadequate despite clear evidence of calling and competence. What we call "impostor syndrome" today is not new. Scripture is filled with leaders who felt unqualified, inexperienced, or unworthy of the roles God gave them. Moses questioned his ability. Gideon compared himself to others. Jeremiah believed he was too young. Esther hesitated when risk increased. Even Paul described himself as "the least of the apostles." Yet God did not withdraw their calling because of their insecurity. He met them in it. This episode explores how God responds to leaders who feel insufficient—not by inflating their self-confidence, but by redirecting their focus to His presence, His sovereignty, and His grace. When Moses doubted himself, God said, "I will be with you." When Gideon minimized himself, God defined him by purpose. When Paul reflected on his past, he reframed his identity through grace: "By the grace of God I am what I am." We also examine the critical distinction between healthy humility and paralyzing self-doubt. Biblical humility produces dependence on God. Impostor syndrome produces anxiety and striving. One leads to surrender. The other leads to fear of exposure. If you are a Christian leader in business, ministry, or nonprofit leadership, you will likely experience moments when responsibility outpaces confidence. This episode will help you re-anchor your leadership identity—not in performance metrics or cultural standards, but in God's calling and faithfulness. You are not disqualified because you feel weak. In many cases, weakness becomes the doorway to deeper dependence—and stronger leadership. If you've ever felt like a fraud in a role God clearly gave you, this conversation is for you.

Send us a text and let us know what you think of our podcast!In this episode of WHO CORNER TO CORNER we posed the ULTIMATE QUESTION to Doctor Who fans around the world! What are YOUR TOP 3 Doctor Who stories of all time? Can you limit it to only 3? Even Paul and Geoff struggled to narrow it down. And what of our listeners? From thousands of stories told across different media, can you possibly limit your fave Doctor Who stories to just 3 all-time bangers? Listen in to find out!Support the show Subscribe to Who Corner to Corner on your podcast app to make sure you don't miss an episode! Now available to watch on YouTube! Join the Doctor Who chat with us and other fans on Twitter and Facebook! Visit the Who Corner to Corner website and see our back catalogue of episodes! Visit the WHOC2C merch store! Enjoying what we do? Consider joining our Explorers Subscription plan for more content! Who Corner to Corner: Great guests and 100% positive Doctor Who chat!

We long to be known—but we fear what might happen if we actually are. Yet from the earliest days of the church, God's people devoted themselves to shared life: shared meals, shared prayers, shared needs. Even Paul—the tireless missionary—needed friends, family, and community to remain faithful. True community is where masks come off and grace moves in. It's where someone notices when you're not okay, celebrates your wins, and walks with you through your struggles. Jesus created space to be fully known among His closest followers—and then carried our isolation to the cross so we could belong fully to God and His people. When we step into gospel-centered community, we don't just find connection—we find formation, healing, and hope.

They're essential tools God gave the church to reach the world. The greatest gift is the Spirit Himself, and from intimacy with Him flow miracles, healings, prophecy, and joy, all meant to build up the body in love. Even Paul, correcting the Corinthians, urged them to earnestly desire the gifts, reminding us that they're meant to be stepping stones into the beauty of the Spirit, not stumbling blocks.

Contentment is one of the hardest lessons to learn—whether you’re a child circling toys in a catalog or an adult eyeing upgrades and “just one more thing” that promises satisfaction. Philippians 4:12 pulls us back to center, reminding us that peace doesn’t rise and fall with our circumstances. Paul learned to be steady in seasons of plenty and seasons of lack because his confidence was rooted in Christ, not conditions. When we anchor our joy in the unchanging character of God, we discover the quiet strength that carries us through both abundance and need. Highlights Contentment and happiness aren’t the same—one depends on circumstances, the other doesn’t. Paul learned contentment through every season: need, abundance, hunger, and fullness. Lasting peace is found in Christ, not in possessions, upgrades, or life improvements. Our hearts easily drift toward “more,” making contentment a daily, intentional choice. Philippians 4:13 reveals the true secret: Christ’s strength empowers us to be faithful in any situation. Even Paul, writing from captivity and suffering, modeled unwavering trust in God. Want and plenty both test our faith—but both can draw us closer to God when we rely on Him. Gift Inspiration: Crosswalk's Holiday Gift Guide Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate the season? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide—from beautifully illustrated Bibles and devotionals to novels, greeting cards, and picture books, there’s something for everyone on your list. Wrap up stories for loved ones, tuck a book into your own nightstand, and join us in celebrating the wonder of giving this Christmas! Full Transcript Below: Faithful in Plenty, Faithful in Want By: Laura Bailey Bible Reading: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” - Philippians 4:12 NIV “Give me! It’s my turn to look!” my youngest daughter screamed as she ripped the latest Christmas catalog out of my middle daughter’s hands. We’d received four toy books this week, the glossy pages filled with the latest gadgets, and my daughters were eager to circle the items they’d had their eyes on all year and add a few more things to their lists.“I think I will hold onto this,” I said as I tucked the book underneath my arm. “You girls already have so much, how could you possibly find anything else you want?” My daughters turned to each other in an unspoken agreement that their mother was, in fact, crazy. They could never have “enough,” there was always something more to bring them greater joy. It is my responsibility as a parent to teach my girls about contentment, gratitude for what they have, and the dangers of placing our happiness in things. Don’t worry, I did address the heart issue with my littles. However, at thirty years their senior, I still struggle with the same things. No, it’s not the lure of a new doll that promises to boost my morale; instead, it’s looking forward to a raise, taking a trip, or upgrading the kitchen appliances. How often do I struggle to be faithful in plenty and faithful in want? Sadly, it is still a struggle. Paul, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, encourages them to be content and faithful to what God has called them to, in all circumstances. Notice that Paul, in our key verse, uses the word content and not happy. Often, we use those words interchangeably, and while they are similar, they have slightly different meanings. Happiness, a state of euphoria, is dependent on circumstances, while contentment is a state of peace or satisfaction independent of circumstances. Paul desired that his ancient readers and today’s believers understand that peace and joy aren’t rooted in our circumstances but in our relationship with Christ. Therefore, contentment and choosing to be faithful to God’s purpose are daily choices. Often, my feelings dictate my soul's contentment. Paul understood this struggle. The verse following Paul’s “secret,” to contentment, tells us how he was able to, even in the worst of circumstances, he can stay faithful ( remember, Paul is writing this letter from house arrest, and was beaten, flogged, and severely injured for the gospel). Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul kept his faith even in the most dire of circumstances because God was with him, strengthened him, and gave him peace and joy through the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life. The key to lasting happiness and peace isn’t found in a temporary world but in an everlasting God. Paul understood how easily we get discouraged, allowing the disappointments of this world to overcome us, rob us of our peace, steal our joy, and undermine our faith. But in our weakest moments, we must cry out to God, asking Him to give us the strength to “count it all joy” (James 1:2-4). Once my girls had settled down, I brought out the magazine and shared with them that I, too, can get sidetracked and distracted by all the shiny things this world offers. It’s not wrong to want a new pair of shoes, or a new game, or even to have a toy chest overflowing with playthings. However, we must guard our hearts against the proclivity to find contentment in our circumstances, cash flow, or STUFF. The “not-so secret” to be faithful in plenty and little, is to place our trust in the One Who is the Provider of it all. Intersecting Faith & Life: Next time you are tempted to measure your happiness by the temporary, take a minute to meditate on our key verse. Commit the verse to memory, or write it down on a sticky note as a reminder that we can find contentment in Christ, not our circumstances.Further Reading:James 1:2-8 A Prayer to Enjoy Each Season Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Our human behavior leads us to get stuck in patterns of sin. Even Paul struggled with obeying God's commands. Where does that leave us? Tune in for a message of hope that points us to Jesus.

Title: Love One Another Text: Acts 28:11-16 FCF: We often struggle remaining self-focused even with our Christian brothers and sisters. Prop: Because hospitality and brotherly love in the church is needed by all in abundance, we must love one another like Christ loved us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 28. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 11 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Since chapter 27, Luke has been telling us the maritime adventure story of Paul on his way to Rome. The greater story of Paul going to Rome actually began all the way back in Acts chapter 19 when Paul decides to go to Jerusalem on the leading of the Holy Spirit. So, we have been in this final narrative of the book of Acts for quite some time now. Although it has only been 7 months for us to learn about Paul's journey to Rome, it has already taken Paul about 3 years having arrived in Jerusalem around AD 57 and now having wintered in Malta, arriving in Rome in AD 60. Today we will see the completion of this adventure and see the providence of God to use His church to bring Paul safely to Rome. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Our Father in heaven. Your name is of more value than any name that has ever been or ever will be. May Your Kingdom permeate this world so that Your will reigns in the hearts of all people. We ask as Your children that Your Spirit might feed us today on Your Holy Word and help us to love one another as Your Son has loved us. Father do not allow us to be overtaken with the temptation to love ourselves or to be self-focused. But deliver us from the deceptions of the Evil One who walks about like a roaring lion waiting to feast on us. Instead, let us take up Your armor to extinguish his fiery darts. We seek all these things from You, because to You belongs the Kingdom, the power, the glory, forever and ever. We pray in Jesus' name – Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] The Puritan Richard Sibbes once said, “No man can love a saint as a saint but a saint.” In other words, the only way it is possible for a Christian to be loved as a Christian ought to be loved, is if he or she is loved by another Christian. The English Evangelist of the Great Awakening George Whitefield said, “As soon as the love of God was shed abroad in my soul, I loved all, of whatsoever denomination, who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity of heart.” Truly being a follower of Christ requires and naturally produces unconditional and self-sacrificing love for others who are followers of Christ. This… is what we will see today. Let's start in verse 11. I.) Hospitality and brotherly love should abound in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (11-14) a. [Slide 3] 11 - After three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” as its figurehead. i. And so, the final leg of the journey to Rome begins. ii. After wintering on Malta for 3 months the passengers of the Alexandrian grain vessel which was no more, no doubt split up between various ships on Malta to go to various destinations. iii. But Paul, his companions, the soldiers, Julius the centurion, and the rest of the prisoners all board another Alexandrian ship headed for Rome. iv. This ship had wintered in Malta, arriving well before the storm no doubt. v. But then Luke includes a final detail about the ship, and for a casual 21st century western reader of the text, it would very easily slip past unnoticed. vi. Luke records that the ship had on the bow a figurehead. Now this could be carved wooden images or perhaps an engraved or painted image. We are not exactly sure. But regardless, Luke dutifully records that on the bow were “The Heavenly Twins.” vii. Which should lead us to ask two basic questions. viii. First, who are the Heavenly twins? And second, what is the significance of Luke mentioning this? 1. [Slide 4] So, who are the Heavenly twins? a. In Greek mythology the Heavenly twins, or The Sons of Zeus, are two heroes named Castor and Pollux. b. The story goes that their mother Leda was seduced by Zeus who posed as a swan. On the night she conceived her children her husband was with her too. c. She produced 2 children hatched from an egg. d. Castor was the son of the human father and Pollux was the son of Zeus. Yet they were identical twins. e. Both sons were renowned for their prowess in battle. They were patron deities of navigation and protection of travelers and are represented in the constellation Gemini. f. This answers the question as to why they would be included on a sea faring vessel. g. The way the story goes… The twin brothers abducted two sisters, and because of this two of the women's cousins came after Castor and Pollux. Pollux killed his pursuer but Castor was not so lucky. h. Zeus killed the man who killed Castor and then gave Pollux a choice. i. Pollux was his son and asked if he would rather stay with him on Olympus forever or share his immortality with his brother. j. Pollux chose to share his immortality and he and Castor alternated days being either immortal or bound in the realm of the dead. 2. [Slide 5] So, why does Luke mention this? What is the significance of this figurehead? a. Is Luke simply recording details to reinforce the reliability of his information? i. Adding this detail would mean that a person could go and look up this ship in the future to confirm the story was true. ii. In fact, some older commentators suggest that this was actually the name of the ship or even the owner of the ship. But that is not a very common interpretation. iii. Assuming it isn't the name of the ship or the owner of the ship, mentioning this figurehead would not have been a great way to increase reliability, since so many ships which sailed the Mediterranean would have a figurehead of the Castor and Pollux. iv. Furthermore, not many people would question the believability that Paul and his companions sailed safely to Italy from Malta. v. It would have been the fact that they all survived a Nor'easter that would have been the far-fetched maritime tale. vi. No. I don't think this is an instance where Luke is detail dropping to increase the believability of his story. b. Is Luke praising Castor and Pollux? i. Another possibility is Luke recognizing some kind of authority of these gods to actually impact the world around them. ii. We know that Paul and his companions arrive safely in Rome and even, as we'll see, experience a favorable south wind to make their travel swift. iii. If Luke is praising these gods for getting Paul to Rome, then we probably need to dismiss the entire book of Acts and Luke from our cannon of scripture or we need to radically change our monotheistic view to recognize that other gods should be looked to for various things and not Yahweh alone. iv. So no, I do not think that Luke is saying that the success of their trip was due to Castor and Pollux blessing them. v. If anything, Luke might be making a somewhat comical comparison to these impotent gods of paganism and how they are really only able to save these sailors when the weather is good and only Yahweh can save His people through bad weather and storms. c. [Slide 6] Is Luke including this detail to further contrast the state of unbelieving Gentiles and unbelieving Jews? i. Theophilus is the recipient of Luke's two scroll tome. ii. Luke begins his gospel expressing that the things he writes are to reinforce what Theophilus has come to believe. iii. Theophilus is probably not the true name of the person Luke is writing to. More than likely Theophilus is a gentile who probably knew quite well who the Heavenly Twins were. He also was probably relatively high up in the Roman government, and has come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. iv. As such, Luke has tried to emphasize a few themes in the book of Acts. v. One of these themes is that Christianity is not a direct threat to the Roman Empire. 1. Over and over again, although Christianity is at the center of unrest throughout the empire, Luke has shown that it is actually the unbelieving Jews who are stirring up trouble because they will not accept their Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. 2. Unlike the zealots and the Jews in Judea at the time of his writing this book, Christians are not actively opposing Roman rule. 3. In fact, the Christians are generally peaceful and submissive toward the Roman government. 4. Christian beliefs and ideology stand opposed to the paganism of Rome in many ways… but not in every way. vi. Pagan gentiles share some common practices with Christians that unbelieving Jews seem to lack. 1. The story of Castor and Pollux emphasizes the brotherly love and hospitality valued in Roman culture. 2. Values that are directly associated with paganism. 3. Luke connects the Maltese brotherly love to this figurehead which stands for the same thing. 4. And soon he'll be talking about Christians who show similar love and hospitality. 5. But by the end of the book of Acts, the unbelieving Jews do not afford the gentiles a similar love. 6. In fact, they are absolutely appalled at the thought that the Jewish Messiah would be offered to Gentiles. 7. Which leads us to another reason Luke would include this detail. vii. Paul has not allowed his Jewish sensibilities to prevent him from giving the gospel to the Maltese or from getting to Rome to give the gospel to Emperor Nero. 1. Throughout the three months on Malta, Paul certainly ate with gentiles. 2. And more than likely, he ate whatever was set in front of him. 3. Meaning that Paul did not follow the Jewish dietary laws while on Malta. 4. Now he boards a ship with obvious idols at the bow. 5. These practices would have been repudiated by every good Jew. Indeed, to even eat with gentiles (even if the food was kosher) would have been culturally taboo and somewhat illegal, especially in Judea. 6. Remember, Paul is headed to Rome because of the Jews' hatred of gentiles being welcomed into the Nazarene sect of Judaism known now as The Way or Christianity. 7. Paul forgoes these sensibilities to do what the Lord Jesus had commanded him to do. 3. So, to take a long answer and make it very short, Luke includes this detail to continue his comparison between three groups of people. 4. Unbelieving Jews, unbelieving gentiles, and Christians. 5. And his point is clear. 6. In many ways, unbelieving gentiles are more receptive to the truth of the gospel, and closer to the teachings of Jesus, than unbelieving Jews are. 7. This seems to conform to Paul's point that he has already made in his letter to the Romans that the Gentiles coming to Christ in droves are part of God's plan to make the Jews jealous. 8. We are praying, even still today, that there would be an awakening among the Jews to the one whom they have pierced. 9. So, what's next on the trip? b. [Slide 7] 12 - We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. - 13 - From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli. i. Largely we merely see itinerary here. ii. [Slide 8] The band of travelers make their way through the Strait of Messina. They land first in Syracuse on Sicily. Then on to Rhegium in Italy. iii. After staying there a day, a south wind favored their travel and they made it to Puteoli the next day. A trip which would have probably taken a little longer. c. [Slide 9] 14 - There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. i. And so here we have the comparison and contrast between Christians and the Maltese people. ii. How are they similar? Both groups welcome Paul and his companions and the soldiers and the other prisoners to stay with them. iii. They were shown hospitality as strangers. iv. Publius entertained them for 3 days and the Maltese villagers took them in after they were shipwrecked. v. Here we see a subtle difference. vi. Publius was a leading man. A man who probably had a good deal of wealth. vii. Luke doesn't mention anything about the station of these individuals. He only says that they were brothers. They were believers. viii. And they hosted Paul, his companions, Julius, the soldiers and the other prisoners, for an entire week. ix. Julius would have had the right and responsibility to requisition a room and provisions from the cities they went to, but this would have no doubt been a tedious task and the rooms they got would have no doubt been quite unpleasant. x. Discovering people who willingly desired to host them, without force, for an entire week, would have been a perplexing but welcome surprise. xi. Lengthy stays like this among pagans would have been generally discouraged. Two or three days was the typical threshold for social etiquette. xii. Indeed, to commit to an entire week's stay would have been very rare and reserved only for family or very close friends. xiii. But we get the impression that these Christians are not following some social convention or cultural requirement – but rather this is the heart of Christians welcoming and caring for other Christians. xiv. As though they are very close friends or family. xv. So, we can see and understand that the pagan sense of hospitality is rooted in social norms and moral examples of their somewhat morally ambiguous gods. But the Christian form was rooted in mutual love as we are one in Christ and follow His perfect example to love others. xvi. And now after a long maritime adventure, Luke rather modestly reports how Paul arrives in Rome. Luke isn't saying this as though Paul had already arrived. Rather he is saying this as a way to close out the sea travel and indicate that they approach Rome by land on the Appian Way, the main road leading to the great city of Rome. d. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: In a world where culture seemed to value hospitality and brotherly love, we might wonder what Jesus might mean by His statement to His disciples that the world will know that they are His disciples by their love for one another. Certainly, if our love for one another merely parallels the love that pagans show each other, then the world would not see us as any different. But by way of direct comparison to the Maltese unbelievers' hospitality and care, we see the brothers in Puteoli taking in and caring for Paul and his companions for an entire week. This shatters the social convention and proves that something is indeed different about the way Christians exercise hospitality and brotherly love toward one another. Indeed, hospitality and brotherly love in the church should be in abundant supply. And as our culture devalues these traits or limits them to family and friends, it becomes even easier for God's people to separate themselves from the culture and love one another abundantly. For this is what we must do. We must love one another. How? As Christ has loved us. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] So we see that loving one another is a normative practice in Christ's church that should be so abundant that the world recognizes it as peculiar and different than what they can find anywhere else. It is a love based on connection in Christ which transcends and goes deeper than all the normal things that usually bind people together. But is this something that only weak Christians need? Do only weak Christians need to be loved and cared for abundantly? Let's take a look at the last couple verses of Paul's journey to Rome. II.) Hospitality and brotherly love is needed by all in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (15-16) a. [Slide 12] 15 - The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and took courage. i. So, the brothers here are referring to brothers from Rome. Rome was referenced in the last verse. ii. [Slide 13] We see on the map behind us that in reference to Rome and Puteoli the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns are roughly ¾ of the way to Rome. iii. The Forum of Appius is about 43 miles from Rome while the Three Taverns was about 33 miles away. iv. No doubt these brothers were either two separate groups of believers or 1 large group that went to meet Paul. v. The first group stopped at Three Taverns knowing that Paul would certainly travel through there on the Appian Way to Rome. vi. The second group went on to meet him at the Forum of Appius. vii. But what are these places? viii. They are two famous way stations along the Appian way as one traveled to and from Rome. ix. The Forum of Appius is really not a Forum at all. It is actually a market town where people rested during their travels. x. The Three Taverns is another rest stop along the Appian Way which included shops, booths, and inns. Tavern for us indicates a bar – but that was not the meaning at this time. xi. [Slide 14] When Paul saw these Christian brothers, he thanked the Lord that he was being received to Rome with such love and care. xii. He also took courage for the time he would remain here knowing that he would certainly be provided for and have the ability to connect with the church in Rome. Something he had desired to do for quite some time. xiii. Notice that Paul the apostle who this entire trip has trusted God to get him to Rome… thanks God and takes courage at the sight of Christian brothers. xiv. Even Paul, though he had the promise of God, took comfort in the fact that there were people he could see, hear, touch, and speak with that would care for him and see him to Rome. b. [Slide 15] 16 - When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. i. And so, Paul's journey to Rome officially comes to a close. ii. He arrives in the city and is permitted to rent a house for himself. iii. He would be kept under guard of a single soldier. But he would enjoy a significant amount of freedom in the city of Rome while he awaited his meeting with Caesar Nero. iv. We'll see a bit of that freedom next time in the book of Acts. c. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: So once again we see highlighted for us the brotherly love of these fellow Christians who traveled 43 miles to meet with and escort Paul safely back another 43 miles to Rome. But unique in these last couple verses is the need Paul had for Christian brothers to surround him and see him safely to Rome. Paul trusted God without question. During the storm, he may have been one of the few who kept on believing God's Word. But now, on his last leg of 120 miles from Puteoli to Rome, Paul finds great comfort and courage in Christian brothers surrounding him and caring for him. If PAUL needs this kind of hospitality and brotherly love, it seems like no one in the church would be without this need. So, since the weakest to the strongest of us need love from one another… we must love one another as Christ loves us. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that informs or corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our lifestyles. Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] In chapter 28 Luke has shown us the general hospitality and care that unbelieving pagans were capable of. But since beginning the church on Malta, Luke has transitioned to showing us the necessary and abundant hospitality and brotherly love of the body of Christ. First with the Maltese sending Paul away with wealth and provisions. Then with the brothers in Puteoli putting Paul and his companions and even Roman soldiers and other prisoners up for a week. Then with these brothers who traveled over 40 miles to ensure that Paul and his companions arrived safely in Rome. So, we see how necessary abundant hospitality and brotherly love is to the church. We also see that every member of the church needs this necessary and abundant love from time to time. In seasons of doubt, lack, and hardship – this love is especially necessary – even by those who we would say are spiritually… strong. Strength does not mean invulnerability. The obvious application for both of these truths today, is that we as believers must love one another as Christ has loved us. This implies not only that it is necessary that we love one another but that we must love one another abundantly. But let me apply these teachings and applications a little more specifically this morning. 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that abundant brotherly love is required in the body of Christ. a. Jesus told His disciples that He gave them a new commandment. That they should love one another. b. Now that in and of itself is not a new commandment at all. c. In fact, that is a command given in the Old Testament Mosaic Law. d. Jesus affirmed that law during his ministry when the Pharisees were trying to set him up for failure by asking what is the greatest Old Testament law. e. He said to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and the second is like it (or similar in importance and value) which is to love your neighbor as you already love yourself. f. Then He said that on these two laws hang all the law and the prophets. g. So why did Jesus call His command new? h. His command no longer required for His disciples to love one another as they already loved themselves. His command required His disciples to love one another as He loved them. i. To be plain, Jesus said to love other disciples of Christ unconditionally and self-sacrificially. j. Then Jesus goes on to say that if we love each other this way – the world will know we are His followers. k. Real, abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is absolutely required of all the members of the body of Christ. l. So much so that if you are not loving your brother, the apostle John points out that you cannot love God. For how can you love God whom you haven't seen if you can't love your brother whom you have seen? 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that strong Christians do not need abundant brotherly love from other Christians. a. Another way we might say this is that our real, abundant, unconditional, and self-sacrificing love for other believes is not selectively applied to any category of person. b. All Christ followers need this love. Who among us does not need the love of Christ? Any hands? c. If we are to love one another like Christ loved us – does Christ truly love His bride? Is there any of His sheep that He has despised? d. The goats He will turn away to be sure. But will any of the sheep His Father has given to Him be lost? e. My friends, this pastor needs Christians loving him. f. Your Elders need Christians loving them. g. Our missionaries need Christians loving them. h. Paul, an apostle, thanked God and took courage from the hospitality and brotherly love given to him by the believers in Rome. i. God should have been enough for him. God should be enough for all of us. j. But Paul needed assurances. God gave him the love of other believers. k. We all need the love of Christ to flow through us. l. These truths give us one application and one warning. m. First, by application… 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must love one another as Christ loved us. a. If you are actually a Christian, you should love other Christians the way Christ loved you. Without question. Without excuse. Without pause. Without complaint. b. That is why you are here. c. You aren't here to have your career. d. You aren't here to be parents. e. You can have these goals but it isn't your primary purpose here. f. You are here to build the Kingdom and lay up treasures in that kingdom that cannot be destroyed. g. Think of it this way, you will spend the rest of your eternal life with these people. h. You might as well start loving them now! i. And now is when we get to practice loving them the way Christ loved us. In the New Kingdom there will be no sin, which means that to love unconditionally will actually be quite easy. j. It is very difficult to love other believers when they are selfish. When they are immature. When they hurt you. When they are acting sinfully. When they don't deserve it or don't think they need it. When they love you conditionally, it is very hard to love them unconditionally. k. But we get to be refined in fire in this life. We get to love when it is hard now. l. And this is how people will know that we are Christians. Because in spite of all our differences and in spite of whether someone has earned it – we still love them. m. That is weird. REALLY weird. n. Our culture tells us to write people out of our lives who treat us this way. o. Jesus says to love them. p. Our culture calls them toxic. q. Jesus says to love them. r. Our culture says you have to protect yourself. s. Jesus says to love them selflessly and sacrificially. t. Now part of love is rebuke. As Christians they don't get a free pass to live this way forever… and that is the warning… 4.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not become self-focused or self-serving in our love for one another. a. Because abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is required by all believers, we must not allow our love to become self-serving or self-focused. b. Imagine we have two cables attached to posts stretching out in a V shape. c. Unconditional, self-sacrificing love is when two people stand on either of these cables and lean on each other to walk toward the end. d. But when one of us becomes self-focused or self-serving, when one of us stops giving love and only seeks to take love… what happens? e. It is like if one person stopped leaning in and began to shift their weight back to protect themselves from falling face first. f. What does that produce? What hurts does that cause? g. I will suggest to you two hurts come from this. i. First, the Christian who has become self-serving and self-focused will feel as though others are not loving them the way they had before. 1. When you lean in on someone else, you feel all their weight against you. But when you pull back it seems like they aren't leaning in the way they should. 2. The more self-seeking and self-focused we become in the church, the less we will appreciate the love others offer to us. 3. In an effort to care for ourselves and protect ourselves, we actually end up ensuring that we won't feel loved or cared for. 4. And that might lead to bitterness and resentment. ii. Second, the Christian who is loving unconditionally will be hurt in one of two ways. 1. Either we will also become self-focused or self-serving in our love… since this Christian has stopped loving us unconditionally, we will stop loving them unconditionally. 2. OR, we will fall flat on our faces and wonder what happened. We will become gun shy about loving someone unconditionally in the future because we know the hurt that can be caused when that relationship is not characterized by mutual unconditional love. h. Can you imagine what we would do if Jesus loved us like this? i. We must love one another. We must do so unconditionally and in a self-sacrificing way. j. Because the moment we make it about what we get rather than what we give… we will hurt ourselves and others. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God has provided Spirit indwelled human ministers to encourage and care for us. This is the necessity of the local church. a. We ought only to need the Lord. b. But we are weak. c. And God knows our weakness. He knows that although He is enough, that we would need Spirit indwelled flesh and blood to come alongside us and love us. d. That is why He built His church. e. When it works the way God designed it… we have a perfect relationship where we lean in on one another and we can walk this life all the way to its end… together. f. And God's grace can give us the strength to love each other in this way. g. And this is the greatest argument for the local church. h. As believers in Christ, we are all part of the universal church. i. But the universal church which is spread throughout the world and throughout time, doesn't know my hurts and failings. The universal church doesn't see me in my weakness. The universal church can't tell that my countenance has fallen. j. And I can't meet the needs of the universal church. Those needs are too great for me. k. But here… as a local assembly… we can know each other… well. l. And without derision and without judgment we can cling to one another for help when we are at our weakest. m. People who insist that it is normal to do church from their couch. People leaning heavily into their immediate family rather at the expense of gathering with their local church. n. You need to hear me. Your couch will burn up. And your family relationships won't exist any longer in the New Kingdom. o. You know what will? p. The church. q. The late Voddie Baucham said, “Church membership is the most important aspect of lifestyle evaluation. Let that statement sink in for a minute. I'm arguing that the most important thing for a family shepherd to do—when he's evaluating how he's leading his family—is to ensure they're healthy members of a healthy church. This is more important than his assessment of their financial status, their use of time, where and how they live, what they drive, where and how their children are educated, or any other lifestyle issue. None of those things is as significant as church membership." r. The local church is a gift to us and we cannot survive without it. s. Which brings me to the nature of the church and its reflection of the gospel… 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The church is completely different than any other organization or group because we love one another deeply, many times in spite of our differences. a. Any human made organization can engineer connections and friendships around common interests. b. In fact, many churches do this on purpose thinking that they are helping people in the church to form lasting relationships which will make sure they stay at the church. c. But all they do is segregate the body of Christ into likeminded interest groups that are essentially separate churches operating within a larger church. d. The body of Christ is different than any other human organization in that we may be completely different people. e. We may have different interests, different hobbies, different social statues, different ethnicities, different cultures, different upbringings. f. We might be in different places in life, either a kid, a young adult, a young married couple, a young married couple with kids, a middle aged married couple with older kids, a middle aged couple with grown kids, an older couple with adult children, an older couple with grand children, widows, widowers, single and never married, and the list goes on… g. And in spite of all these differences… we are still here together… worshipping God. h. Why? i. Because of Jesus. j. He connects us more deeply and more fully than any other common interest we may share. k. And indeed the intergenerational nature and diversity of the church is essential. We don't need to be divided into what earthly circumstance we have in common. Instead, we must be united based on what we all have in common. l. That is Christ has saved us from our sins! m. If we are united with others around our common interests we may as well be a club. A VFW. A fraternal order. Why? n. Because that is what everyone does. o. But to intentionally disregard common interests and unite together under the commonality of Christ… is to truly grasp what it means to be the church. p. To have such deep unconditional and self-sacrificing love for someone who isn't your age, who doesn't like the things you do, who isn't in the same place in life that you are, who isn't your family… THAT… is WEIRD! q. And that is what Jesus meant when He said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. r. The 12 disciples were made up of i. Fishermen ii. Tax collectors iii. Zealots iv. Some were family, being brothers v. Some were from Galilee, others from other places vi. Some of them were fiery vii. Some were skeptical viii. Some were warm and winsome ix. Some were given an elevated status x. Some were wealthy when they were called to follow Jesus xi. Most were poor s. They were a diverse crowd to be sure… t. But you know what… u. All but one of them were tortured and killed for preaching Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. v. And all of them suffered for the name of Jesus. w. What does that mean? x. It means that this entity known as the church… is no man-made thing. Because it shouldn't work. We don't have enough in common to love each other this way. y. Yet… we do. z. If you desire to know this gospel that binds us all together in love – Speak to an Elder today. [Slide 24 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father John Chrysostom. Lord, help us never to distance ourselves from you. Instead, let us hold tightly to the care of our souls, and to love each other. Let us not injure other members of our own body, as that would be insane. But let us be kind to others even more as we see them feeling poorly. Though we often see many persons physically suffering from difficult or incurable illness, we never stop offering possible remedies. What is worse than painful arthritis in the foot or hand? Would we just cut off the limbs? Not at all! We do everything possible to relieve the pain, even if we cannot cure the disease. Let us do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if they have an incurable disease, help us to still tend to them, and let us bear one another's burdens. That way, we fulfill the law of Christ, and obtain the promised good things, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Benediction: May He Who has revealed to every nation His everlasting righteousness, Who sits enthroned in ageless splendor, Rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. Until we meet again – go in peace and in love for one another.

Title: Love One Another Text: Acts 28:11-16 FCF: We often struggle remaining self-focused even with our Christian brothers and sisters. Prop: Because hospitality and brotherly love in the church is needed by all in abundance, we must love one another like Christ loved us. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 28. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 11 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Since chapter 27, Luke has been telling us the maritime adventure story of Paul on his way to Rome. The greater story of Paul going to Rome actually began all the way back in Acts chapter 19 when Paul decides to go to Jerusalem on the leading of the Holy Spirit. So, we have been in this final narrative of the book of Acts for quite some time now. Although it has only been 7 months for us to learn about Paul's journey to Rome, it has already taken Paul about 3 years having arrived in Jerusalem around AD 57 and now having wintered in Malta, arriving in Rome in AD 60. Today we will see the completion of this adventure and see the providence of God to use His church to bring Paul safely to Rome. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Our Father in heaven. Your name is of more value than any name that has ever been or ever will be. May Your Kingdom permeate this world so that Your will reigns in the hearts of all people. We ask as Your children that Your Spirit might feed us today on Your Holy Word and help us to love one another as Your Son has loved us. Father do not allow us to be overtaken with the temptation to love ourselves or to be self-focused. But deliver us from the deceptions of the Evil One who walks about like a roaring lion waiting to feast on us. Instead, let us take up Your armor to extinguish his fiery darts. We seek all these things from You, because to You belongs the Kingdom, the power, the glory, forever and ever. We pray in Jesus' name – Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] The Puritan Richard Sibbes once said, “No man can love a saint as a saint but a saint.” In other words, the only way it is possible for a Christian to be loved as a Christian ought to be loved, is if he or she is loved by another Christian. The English Evangelist of the Great Awakening George Whitefield said, “As soon as the love of God was shed abroad in my soul, I loved all, of whatsoever denomination, who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity of heart.” Truly being a follower of Christ requires and naturally produces unconditional and self-sacrificing love for others who are followers of Christ. This… is what we will see today. Let's start in verse 11. I.) Hospitality and brotherly love should abound in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (11-14) a. [Slide 3] 11 - After three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” as its figurehead. i. And so, the final leg of the journey to Rome begins. ii. After wintering on Malta for 3 months the passengers of the Alexandrian grain vessel which was no more, no doubt split up between various ships on Malta to go to various destinations. iii. But Paul, his companions, the soldiers, Julius the centurion, and the rest of the prisoners all board another Alexandrian ship headed for Rome. iv. This ship had wintered in Malta, arriving well before the storm no doubt. v. But then Luke includes a final detail about the ship, and for a casual 21st century western reader of the text, it would very easily slip past unnoticed. vi. Luke records that the ship had on the bow a figurehead. Now this could be carved wooden images or perhaps an engraved or painted image. We are not exactly sure. But regardless, Luke dutifully records that on the bow were “The Heavenly Twins.” vii. Which should lead us to ask two basic questions. viii. First, who are the Heavenly twins? And second, what is the significance of Luke mentioning this? 1. [Slide 4] So, who are the Heavenly twins? a. In Greek mythology the Heavenly twins, or The Sons of Zeus, are two heroes named Castor and Pollux. b. The story goes that their mother Leda was seduced by Zeus who posed as a swan. On the night she conceived her children her husband was with her too. c. She produced 2 children hatched from an egg. d. Castor was the son of the human father and Pollux was the son of Zeus. Yet they were identical twins. e. Both sons were renowned for their prowess in battle. They were patron deities of navigation and protection of travelers and are represented in the constellation Gemini. f. This answers the question as to why they would be included on a sea faring vessel. g. The way the story goes… The twin brothers abducted two sisters, and because of this two of the women's cousins came after Castor and Pollux. Pollux killed his pursuer but Castor was not so lucky. h. Zeus killed the man who killed Castor and then gave Pollux a choice. i. Pollux was his son and asked if he would rather stay with him on Olympus forever or share his immortality with his brother. j. Pollux chose to share his immortality and he and Castor alternated days being either immortal or bound in the realm of the dead. 2. [Slide 5] So, why does Luke mention this? What is the significance of this figurehead? a. Is Luke simply recording details to reinforce the reliability of his information? i. Adding this detail would mean that a person could go and look up this ship in the future to confirm the story was true. ii. In fact, some older commentators suggest that this was actually the name of the ship or even the owner of the ship. But that is not a very common interpretation. iii. Assuming it isn't the name of the ship or the owner of the ship, mentioning this figurehead would not have been a great way to increase reliability, since so many ships which sailed the Mediterranean would have a figurehead of the Castor and Pollux. iv. Furthermore, not many people would question the believability that Paul and his companions sailed safely to Italy from Malta. v. It would have been the fact that they all survived a Nor'easter that would have been the far-fetched maritime tale. vi. No. I don't think this is an instance where Luke is detail dropping to increase the believability of his story. b. Is Luke praising Castor and Pollux? i. Another possibility is Luke recognizing some kind of authority of these gods to actually impact the world around them. ii. We know that Paul and his companions arrive safely in Rome and even, as we'll see, experience a favorable south wind to make their travel swift. iii. If Luke is praising these gods for getting Paul to Rome, then we probably need to dismiss the entire book of Acts and Luke from our cannon of scripture or we need to radically change our monotheistic view to recognize that other gods should be looked to for various things and not Yahweh alone. iv. So no, I do not think that Luke is saying that the success of their trip was due to Castor and Pollux blessing them. v. If anything, Luke might be making a somewhat comical comparison to these impotent gods of paganism and how they are really only able to save these sailors when the weather is good and only Yahweh can save His people through bad weather and storms. c. [Slide 6] Is Luke including this detail to further contrast the state of unbelieving Gentiles and unbelieving Jews? i. Theophilus is the recipient of Luke's two scroll tome. ii. Luke begins his gospel expressing that the things he writes are to reinforce what Theophilus has come to believe. iii. Theophilus is probably not the true name of the person Luke is writing to. More than likely Theophilus is a gentile who probably knew quite well who the Heavenly Twins were. He also was probably relatively high up in the Roman government, and has come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. iv. As such, Luke has tried to emphasize a few themes in the book of Acts. v. One of these themes is that Christianity is not a direct threat to the Roman Empire. 1. Over and over again, although Christianity is at the center of unrest throughout the empire, Luke has shown that it is actually the unbelieving Jews who are stirring up trouble because they will not accept their Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. 2. Unlike the zealots and the Jews in Judea at the time of his writing this book, Christians are not actively opposing Roman rule. 3. In fact, the Christians are generally peaceful and submissive toward the Roman government. 4. Christian beliefs and ideology stand opposed to the paganism of Rome in many ways… but not in every way. vi. Pagan gentiles share some common practices with Christians that unbelieving Jews seem to lack. 1. The story of Castor and Pollux emphasizes the brotherly love and hospitality valued in Roman culture. 2. Values that are directly associated with paganism. 3. Luke connects the Maltese brotherly love to this figurehead which stands for the same thing. 4. And soon he'll be talking about Christians who show similar love and hospitality. 5. But by the end of the book of Acts, the unbelieving Jews do not afford the gentiles a similar love. 6. In fact, they are absolutely appalled at the thought that the Jewish Messiah would be offered to Gentiles. 7. Which leads us to another reason Luke would include this detail. vii. Paul has not allowed his Jewish sensibilities to prevent him from giving the gospel to the Maltese or from getting to Rome to give the gospel to Emperor Nero. 1. Throughout the three months on Malta, Paul certainly ate with gentiles. 2. And more than likely, he ate whatever was set in front of him. 3. Meaning that Paul did not follow the Jewish dietary laws while on Malta. 4. Now he boards a ship with obvious idols at the bow. 5. These practices would have been repudiated by every good Jew. Indeed, to even eat with gentiles (even if the food was kosher) would have been culturally taboo and somewhat illegal, especially in Judea. 6. Remember, Paul is headed to Rome because of the Jews' hatred of gentiles being welcomed into the Nazarene sect of Judaism known now as The Way or Christianity. 7. Paul forgoes these sensibilities to do what the Lord Jesus had commanded him to do. 3. So, to take a long answer and make it very short, Luke includes this detail to continue his comparison between three groups of people. 4. Unbelieving Jews, unbelieving gentiles, and Christians. 5. And his point is clear. 6. In many ways, unbelieving gentiles are more receptive to the truth of the gospel, and closer to the teachings of Jesus, than unbelieving Jews are. 7. This seems to conform to Paul's point that he has already made in his letter to the Romans that the Gentiles coming to Christ in droves are part of God's plan to make the Jews jealous. 8. We are praying, even still today, that there would be an awakening among the Jews to the one whom they have pierced. 9. So, what's next on the trip? b. [Slide 7] 12 - We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. - 13 - From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli. i. Largely we merely see itinerary here. ii. [Slide 8] The band of travelers make their way through the Strait of Messina. They land first in Syracuse on Sicily. Then on to Rhegium in Italy. iii. After staying there a day, a south wind favored their travel and they made it to Puteoli the next day. A trip which would have probably taken a little longer. c. [Slide 9] 14 - There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. i. And so here we have the comparison and contrast between Christians and the Maltese people. ii. How are they similar? Both groups welcome Paul and his companions and the soldiers and the other prisoners to stay with them. iii. They were shown hospitality as strangers. iv. Publius entertained them for 3 days and the Maltese villagers took them in after they were shipwrecked. v. Here we see a subtle difference. vi. Publius was a leading man. A man who probably had a good deal of wealth. vii. Luke doesn't mention anything about the station of these individuals. He only says that they were brothers. They were believers. viii. And they hosted Paul, his companions, Julius, the soldiers and the other prisoners, for an entire week. ix. Julius would have had the right and responsibility to requisition a room and provisions from the cities they went to, but this would have no doubt been a tedious task and the rooms they got would have no doubt been quite unpleasant. x. Discovering people who willingly desired to host them, without force, for an entire week, would have been a perplexing but welcome surprise. xi. Lengthy stays like this among pagans would have been generally discouraged. Two or three days was the typical threshold for social etiquette. xii. Indeed, to commit to an entire week's stay would have been very rare and reserved only for family or very close friends. xiii. But we get the impression that these Christians are not following some social convention or cultural requirement – but rather this is the heart of Christians welcoming and caring for other Christians. xiv. As though they are very close friends or family. xv. So, we can see and understand that the pagan sense of hospitality is rooted in social norms and moral examples of their somewhat morally ambiguous gods. But the Christian form was rooted in mutual love as we are one in Christ and follow His perfect example to love others. xvi. And now after a long maritime adventure, Luke rather modestly reports how Paul arrives in Rome. Luke isn't saying this as though Paul had already arrived. Rather he is saying this as a way to close out the sea travel and indicate that they approach Rome by land on the Appian Way, the main road leading to the great city of Rome. d. [Slide 10] Summary of the Point: In a world where culture seemed to value hospitality and brotherly love, we might wonder what Jesus might mean by His statement to His disciples that the world will know that they are His disciples by their love for one another. Certainly, if our love for one another merely parallels the love that pagans show each other, then the world would not see us as any different. But by way of direct comparison to the Maltese unbelievers' hospitality and care, we see the brothers in Puteoli taking in and caring for Paul and his companions for an entire week. This shatters the social convention and proves that something is indeed different about the way Christians exercise hospitality and brotherly love toward one another. Indeed, hospitality and brotherly love in the church should be in abundant supply. And as our culture devalues these traits or limits them to family and friends, it becomes even easier for God's people to separate themselves from the culture and love one another abundantly. For this is what we must do. We must love one another. How? As Christ has loved us. Transition: [Slide 11 (blank)] So we see that loving one another is a normative practice in Christ's church that should be so abundant that the world recognizes it as peculiar and different than what they can find anywhere else. It is a love based on connection in Christ which transcends and goes deeper than all the normal things that usually bind people together. But is this something that only weak Christians need? Do only weak Christians need to be loved and cared for abundantly? Let's take a look at the last couple verses of Paul's journey to Rome. II.) Hospitality and brotherly love is needed by all in the church, so we must love one another as Christ loved us. (15-16) a. [Slide 12] 15 - The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and took courage. i. So, the brothers here are referring to brothers from Rome. Rome was referenced in the last verse. ii. [Slide 13] We see on the map behind us that in reference to Rome and Puteoli the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns are roughly ¾ of the way to Rome. iii. The Forum of Appius is about 43 miles from Rome while the Three Taverns was about 33 miles away. iv. No doubt these brothers were either two separate groups of believers or 1 large group that went to meet Paul. v. The first group stopped at Three Taverns knowing that Paul would certainly travel through there on the Appian Way to Rome. vi. The second group went on to meet him at the Forum of Appius. vii. But what are these places? viii. They are two famous way stations along the Appian way as one traveled to and from Rome. ix. The Forum of Appius is really not a Forum at all. It is actually a market town where people rested during their travels. x. The Three Taverns is another rest stop along the Appian Way which included shops, booths, and inns. Tavern for us indicates a bar – but that was not the meaning at this time. xi. [Slide 14] When Paul saw these Christian brothers, he thanked the Lord that he was being received to Rome with such love and care. xii. He also took courage for the time he would remain here knowing that he would certainly be provided for and have the ability to connect with the church in Rome. Something he had desired to do for quite some time. xiii. Notice that Paul the apostle who this entire trip has trusted God to get him to Rome… thanks God and takes courage at the sight of Christian brothers. xiv. Even Paul, though he had the promise of God, took comfort in the fact that there were people he could see, hear, touch, and speak with that would care for him and see him to Rome. b. [Slide 15] 16 - When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. i. And so, Paul's journey to Rome officially comes to a close. ii. He arrives in the city and is permitted to rent a house for himself. iii. He would be kept under guard of a single soldier. But he would enjoy a significant amount of freedom in the city of Rome while he awaited his meeting with Caesar Nero. iv. We'll see a bit of that freedom next time in the book of Acts. c. [Slide 16] Summary of the Point: So once again we see highlighted for us the brotherly love of these fellow Christians who traveled 43 miles to meet with and escort Paul safely back another 43 miles to Rome. But unique in these last couple verses is the need Paul had for Christian brothers to surround him and see him safely to Rome. Paul trusted God without question. During the storm, he may have been one of the few who kept on believing God's Word. But now, on his last leg of 120 miles from Puteoli to Rome, Paul finds great comfort and courage in Christian brothers surrounding him and caring for him. If PAUL needs this kind of hospitality and brotherly love, it seems like no one in the church would be without this need. So, since the weakest to the strongest of us need love from one another… we must love one another as Christ loves us. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that informs or corrects our beliefs and guides and shapes our lifestyles. Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 17] In chapter 28 Luke has shown us the general hospitality and care that unbelieving pagans were capable of. But since beginning the church on Malta, Luke has transitioned to showing us the necessary and abundant hospitality and brotherly love of the body of Christ. First with the Maltese sending Paul away with wealth and provisions. Then with the brothers in Puteoli putting Paul and his companions and even Roman soldiers and other prisoners up for a week. Then with these brothers who traveled over 40 miles to ensure that Paul and his companions arrived safely in Rome. So, we see how necessary abundant hospitality and brotherly love is to the church. We also see that every member of the church needs this necessary and abundant love from time to time. In seasons of doubt, lack, and hardship – this love is especially necessary – even by those who we would say are spiritually… strong. Strength does not mean invulnerability. The obvious application for both of these truths today, is that we as believers must love one another as Christ has loved us. This implies not only that it is necessary that we love one another but that we must love one another abundantly. But let me apply these teachings and applications a little more specifically this morning. 1.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that abundant brotherly love is required in the body of Christ. a. Jesus told His disciples that He gave them a new commandment. That they should love one another. b. Now that in and of itself is not a new commandment at all. c. In fact, that is a command given in the Old Testament Mosaic Law. d. Jesus affirmed that law during his ministry when the Pharisees were trying to set him up for failure by asking what is the greatest Old Testament law. e. He said to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and the second is like it (or similar in importance and value) which is to love your neighbor as you already love yourself. f. Then He said that on these two laws hang all the law and the prophets. g. So why did Jesus call His command new? h. His command no longer required for His disciples to love one another as they already loved themselves. His command required His disciples to love one another as He loved them. i. To be plain, Jesus said to love other disciples of Christ unconditionally and self-sacrificially. j. Then Jesus goes on to say that if we love each other this way – the world will know we are His followers. k. Real, abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is absolutely required of all the members of the body of Christ. l. So much so that if you are not loving your brother, the apostle John points out that you cannot love God. For how can you love God whom you haven't seen if you can't love your brother whom you have seen? 2.) [Slide 19] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that strong Christians do not need abundant brotherly love from other Christians. a. Another way we might say this is that our real, abundant, unconditional, and self-sacrificing love for other believes is not selectively applied to any category of person. b. All Christ followers need this love. Who among us does not need the love of Christ? Any hands? c. If we are to love one another like Christ loved us – does Christ truly love His bride? Is there any of His sheep that He has despised? d. The goats He will turn away to be sure. But will any of the sheep His Father has given to Him be lost? e. My friends, this pastor needs Christians loving him. f. Your Elders need Christians loving them. g. Our missionaries need Christians loving them. h. Paul, an apostle, thanked God and took courage from the hospitality and brotherly love given to him by the believers in Rome. i. God should have been enough for him. God should be enough for all of us. j. But Paul needed assurances. God gave him the love of other believers. k. We all need the love of Christ to flow through us. l. These truths give us one application and one warning. m. First, by application… 3.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must love one another as Christ loved us. a. If you are actually a Christian, you should love other Christians the way Christ loved you. Without question. Without excuse. Without pause. Without complaint. b. That is why you are here. c. You aren't here to have your career. d. You aren't here to be parents. e. You can have these goals but it isn't your primary purpose here. f. You are here to build the Kingdom and lay up treasures in that kingdom that cannot be destroyed. g. Think of it this way, you will spend the rest of your eternal life with these people. h. You might as well start loving them now! i. And now is when we get to practice loving them the way Christ loved us. In the New Kingdom there will be no sin, which means that to love unconditionally will actually be quite easy. j. It is very difficult to love other believers when they are selfish. When they are immature. When they hurt you. When they are acting sinfully. When they don't deserve it or don't think they need it. When they love you conditionally, it is very hard to love them unconditionally. k. But we get to be refined in fire in this life. We get to love when it is hard now. l. And this is how people will know that we are Christians. Because in spite of all our differences and in spite of whether someone has earned it – we still love them. m. That is weird. REALLY weird. n. Our culture tells us to write people out of our lives who treat us this way. o. Jesus says to love them. p. Our culture calls them toxic. q. Jesus says to love them. r. Our culture says you have to protect yourself. s. Jesus says to love them selflessly and sacrificially. t. Now part of love is rebuke. As Christians they don't get a free pass to live this way forever… and that is the warning… 4.) [Slide 21] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not become self-focused or self-serving in our love for one another. a. Because abundant, unconditional, self-sacrificing love is required by all believers, we must not allow our love to become self-serving or self-focused. b. Imagine we have two cables attached to posts stretching out in a V shape. c. Unconditional, self-sacrificing love is when two people stand on either of these cables and lean on each other to walk toward the end. d. But when one of us becomes self-focused or self-serving, when one of us stops giving love and only seeks to take love… what happens? e. It is like if one person stopped leaning in and began to shift their weight back to protect themselves from falling face first. f. What does that produce? What hurts does that cause? g. I will suggest to you two hurts come from this. i. First, the Christian who has become self-serving and self-focused will feel as though others are not loving them the way they had before. 1. When you lean in on someone else, you feel all their weight against you. But when you pull back it seems like they aren't leaning in the way they should. 2. The more self-seeking and self-focused we become in the church, the less we will appreciate the love others offer to us. 3. In an effort to care for ourselves and protect ourselves, we actually end up ensuring that we won't feel loved or cared for. 4. And that might lead to bitterness and resentment. ii. Second, the Christian who is loving unconditionally will be hurt in one of two ways. 1. Either we will also become self-focused or self-serving in our love… since this Christian has stopped loving us unconditionally, we will stop loving them unconditionally. 2. OR, we will fall flat on our faces and wonder what happened. We will become gun shy about loving someone unconditionally in the future because we know the hurt that can be caused when that relationship is not characterized by mutual unconditional love. h. Can you imagine what we would do if Jesus loved us like this? i. We must love one another. We must do so unconditionally and in a self-sacrificing way. j. Because the moment we make it about what we get rather than what we give… we will hurt ourselves and others. 5.) [Slide 22] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God has provided Spirit indwelled human ministers to encourage and care for us. This is the necessity of the local church. a. We ought only to need the Lord. b. But we are weak. c. And God knows our weakness. He knows that although He is enough, that we would need Spirit indwelled flesh and blood to come alongside us and love us. d. That is why He built His church. e. When it works the way God designed it… we have a perfect relationship where we lean in on one another and we can walk this life all the way to its end… together. f. And God's grace can give us the strength to love each other in this way. g. And this is the greatest argument for the local church. h. As believers in Christ, we are all part of the universal church. i. But the universal church which is spread throughout the world and throughout time, doesn't know my hurts and failings. The universal church doesn't see me in my weakness. The universal church can't tell that my countenance has fallen. j. And I can't meet the needs of the universal church. Those needs are too great for me. k. But here… as a local assembly… we can know each other… well. l. And without derision and without judgment we can cling to one another for help when we are at our weakest. m. People who insist that it is normal to do church from their couch. People leaning heavily into their immediate family rather at the expense of gathering with their local church. n. You need to hear me. Your couch will burn up. And your family relationships won't exist any longer in the New Kingdom. o. You know what will? p. The church. q. The late Voddie Baucham said, “Church membership is the most important aspect of lifestyle evaluation. Let that statement sink in for a minute. I'm arguing that the most important thing for a family shepherd to do—when he's evaluating how he's leading his family—is to ensure they're healthy members of a healthy church. This is more important than his assessment of their financial status, their use of time, where and how they live, what they drive, where and how their children are educated, or any other lifestyle issue. None of those things is as significant as church membership." r. The local church is a gift to us and we cannot survive without it. s. Which brings me to the nature of the church and its reflection of the gospel… 6.) [Slide 23] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The church is completely different than any other organization or group because we love one another deeply, many times in spite of our differences. a. Any human made organization can engineer connections and friendships around common interests. b. In fact, many churches do this on purpose thinking that they are helping people in the church to form lasting relationships which will make sure they stay at the church. c. But all they do is segregate the body of Christ into likeminded interest groups that are essentially separate churches operating within a larger church. d. The body of Christ is different than any other human organization in that we may be completely different people. e. We may have different interests, different hobbies, different social statues, different ethnicities, different cultures, different upbringings. f. We might be in different places in life, either a kid, a young adult, a young married couple, a young married couple with kids, a middle aged married couple with older kids, a middle aged couple with grown kids, an older couple with adult children, an older couple with grand children, widows, widowers, single and never married, and the list goes on… g. And in spite of all these differences… we are still here together… worshipping God. h. Why? i. Because of Jesus. j. He connects us more deeply and more fully than any other common interest we may share. k. And indeed the intergenerational nature and diversity of the church is essential. We don't need to be divided into what earthly circumstance we have in common. Instead, we must be united based on what we all have in common. l. That is Christ has saved us from our sins! m. If we are united with others around our common interests we may as well be a club. A VFW. A fraternal order. Why? n. Because that is what everyone does. o. But to intentionally disregard common interests and unite together under the commonality of Christ… is to truly grasp what it means to be the church. p. To have such deep unconditional and self-sacrificing love for someone who isn't your age, who doesn't like the things you do, who isn't in the same place in life that you are, who isn't your family… THAT… is WEIRD! q. And that is what Jesus meant when He said they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. r. The 12 disciples were made up of i. Fishermen ii. Tax collectors iii. Zealots iv. Some were family, being brothers v. Some were from Galilee, others from other places vi. Some of them were fiery vii. Some were skeptical viii. Some were warm and winsome ix. Some were given an elevated status x. Some were wealthy when they were called to follow Jesus xi. Most were poor s. They were a diverse crowd to be sure… t. But you know what… u. All but one of them were tortured and killed for preaching Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. v. And all of them suffered for the name of Jesus. w. What does that mean? x. It means that this entity known as the church… is no man-made thing. Because it shouldn't work. We don't have enough in common to love each other this way. y. Yet… we do. z. If you desire to know this gospel that binds us all together in love – Speak to an Elder today. [Slide 24 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the church father John Chrysostom. Lord, help us never to distance ourselves from you. Instead, let us hold tightly to the care of our souls, and to love each other. Let us not injure other members of our own body, as that would be insane. But let us be kind to others even more as we see them feeling poorly. Though we often see many persons physically suffering from difficult or incurable illness, we never stop offering possible remedies. What is worse than painful arthritis in the foot or hand? Would we just cut off the limbs? Not at all! We do everything possible to relieve the pain, even if we cannot cure the disease. Let us do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if they have an incurable disease, help us to still tend to them, and let us bear one another's burdens. That way, we fulfill the law of Christ, and obtain the promised good things, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Benediction: May He Who has revealed to every nation His everlasting righteousness, Who sits enthroned in ageless splendor, Rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. Until we meet again – go in peace and in love for one another.

In Introduction, the first message of the In Christ series, Tyler Lynde opens Ephesians with a clear aim: before we talk about what followers of Jesus should do, we need to know who we already are. Working through Ephesians 1:1–2, Tyler shows how Paul begins not with commands but with identity—rooted in the finished work of Jesus. Many of us readily affirm that Christ is in us through the Holy Spirit, but Tyler highlights the equally essential truth that we are in Christ. These two realities form the early church's vision of “union with Christ.” Christ in us is like the engine of the boat—power for transformation. Us in Christ is like the anchor—stability, security, and a new identity that doesn't rise and fall with our performance.Tyler traces Paul's authority and calling “by the will of God” from Acts 9, reminding us that the gospel is God's initiative from start to finish. He then looks at the recipients: “the saints” and “the faithful in Christ Jesus.” “Saints” isn't a title earned by heroic deeds, but a positional reality—set apart by God through Christ. “Faithful” here means believing ones—those who have placed their trust in Jesus' perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection. This identity grounds our daily obedience rather than being the reward for it.From there, Tyler unpacks Paul's greeting: “Grace to you and peace.” Grace, is God's ability in us to do what we cannot do in our own strength—the ongoing power of Christ in us. Peace, resonating with shalom, is the settled rest we experience because we are in Christ—an anchor that holds in changing circumstances. Even Paul's warm phrase “God our Father” carries assurance: the high and holy God is personally near to His children.Along the way, Tyler notes that Paul uses “in Christ” 164 times across his letters and over 30 times in Ephesians, underscoring how central this is to understanding salvation. He also frames the series journey: first, identity (Ephesians 1–3), then purpose (Ephesians 4–6). The church at Ephesus, whom Paul loved deeply (see Acts 20), received this circular letter to be shared widely—truth that still forms us today.If you're weary of striving, this message invites you to rest in what Christ has already secured. You were crucified with Him, buried with Him, raised with Him, and seated with Him. Listen and begin living not for God's approval, but from it.We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!Find us on Facebook & Instagram

A Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 & St. Luke 18:9-14 by William Klock “Two men went up to the temple to pray,” Jesus said.  The temple was the place where heaven and earth met.  The place where men and women could go to be in the presence of God.  Twice a day the priests would lead the people in prayers, at nine in the morning and at three in the afternoon, but people could go any time to pray. On this day, two men climbed the steps to the temple courts to pray.  “One,” Jesus said, “was a Pharisee.”  A Jew could pray anywhere—at home, wherever.  But if anyone was going to go out of their way to pray at the temple, it was going to be a Pharisee.  The temple was everything to them.  They weren't priests, but they lived their lives as if they were.  So it was natural for a Pharisee to go to the temple to pray. But there were two men this day, Jesus said, who went up to the temple.  “The other was a tax collector.”  If there was a polar opposite of the Pharisee, it was the tax collector.  The Pharisees were devoted to God's covenant and to his law.  They kept every last jot and tittle of it.  But the tax collectors.  When Jesus mentioned a tax collector, his whole audience recoiled.  They were the worst of the worst.  There were “sinners”—that means Jews who made lifestyle that rejected God's covenant with them—but then there were tax collectors.  They were a special kind of sinner.  The scum of the earth.  They got rich sucking up to the gentile dogs while swindling their own people. I expect that as Jesus described these two men, everyone had a similar mental picture.  The Pharisee, dignified, wearing his fine clothes, making his way confidently up the steps to the temple complex, and striding just as confidently through the outer courts.  Everyone knew him, everyone he passed greeted him respectfully as he made his way through the various gates and colonnades, further and further into the temple complex.  But then the tax collector.  Maybe it took him three times to make it up those steps, because twice he turned around, overwhelmed by guilt and shame.  And on the far side of the court of the Gentiles, the soreg, the low wall that marked the boundary between the pure and impure, made him pause.  He didn't belong on the other side.  But he'd already spent weeks tracking down the people he'd fleeced and making restitution to them.  There was no going back.  So he steeled himself and passed through, head down, trying to look unobtrusive, because he knew—he just knew—that everyone recognised him.  And he went to one of the men selling lambs.  And he picked one out, paid for it, took it in his arms—he wasn't used to handling animals—and he got in line in the courtyard outside the sanctuary, waiting for a priest as the lamb struggled.  And finally, a priest motioned him toward the altar.  He presented the lamb, his sin offering, and as the priest held it, the tax collector laid his hands on it and slit its throat.  And the priest collected the blood and poured it out at the base of the altar, then butchered the little lamb and burned its fat.  Now he was pure.  But there was still more to do.  The tax collector went back out to the outer court and this time he bought a ram for a guilt offering.  And a servant helped him with the ram as he, again, went back to stand in line for a priest.  And, again, he placed his hands on the ram as the priest held it.  And he killed it, and as with the lamb, the blood was poured out and the fat was burned.  And his guilt was expiated.  And now he could go and pray.  And there he saw the Pharisee.  The Pharisee had seen him, too.  The Pharisee had seen him all along.  As he'd chatted with a friend, the Pharisee had seen the tax collector buy his lamb.  And he'd seem him again as he bought his ram.  As he stood there praying, he'd seen the sacrifice.  God may have forgiven the tax collector, but the Pharisee sure didn't see him that way.  He took a smug look back at the tax collector and, Jesus says, “he prayed in this way to himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: greedy, unjust, immoral, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week.  I give tithes of all that I get.'” And the tax collector.  Jesus says he “stood a long way off, not even wanting to lift his eyes to heaven.  He beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am.'”  He'd gone through the formal actions of forgiveness, but he knew that mere formalism would never see him reconciled to God.  And so, after offering his sacrifices, he knelt humbly and prayed the words of Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God—the psalm goes on—according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.”  He knew.  God isn't a vending machine.  Offering a lamb isn't like pushing B4 and absolution drops into the slot for you to take.  He knew the words of the psalm.  David went on to sing, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  And so the tax collector knelt—and without any presumption—threw himself on the grace of God.  And, as Jesus has said elsewhere, all of heaven rejoiced over this repentant sinner—even as the Pharisee scowled at him. And Jesus said to the people, “Let me tell you, he—the tax collector—was the one who went back to his home vindicated by God, not the other.”  That had to make some people angry.  It was one thing to grant—even if a little grudgingly—that there was something good about a repentant tax collector.  Okay, he offered his lamb and his ram and his contrition was obviously real.  But dissing the Pharisee?  That was too much.  But you see, this is exactly why Jesus told this story.  Luke introduces this episode saying, “Jesus told this next parable against those who trusted in their own righteous standing and despised others.”  And so Jesus explains: “Don't you see?  People who exalt themselves will be humbled, and people who humble themselves will be exalted.” Going to the temple, standing before the Lord, and singing out a litany of your own pious greatness—that's not pleasing to the Lord.  That's a good way to find yourself humbled on the last day.  And having this in mind that makes this bigger than the Pharisees.  Maybe they were the worst offenders, but Jesus gets to the heart of Israel's problem and exposes it.  They knew they were “in”.  They knew that when the Day of the Lord came, judgement would fall on everyone else and that they would be vindicated and go on to live in his presence in the age to come, they knew this because they faithfully bore all the markers of God's covenant.  They were circumcised, they kept the sabbath, and they ate the right foods—they kept God's law.  That meant they were righteous…or so they thought.  But Jesus sort of asks here: “Where is your heart?” This is what the prophets had been asking Israel—and warning her about—for centuries.  Reminding the people that formalism doesn't cut it.  Yes, God required sacrifices.  He'd given them a law.  But obedience was supposed flow from a humble heart overflowing with gratitude for God's grace.  It was supposed to be rooted in faith—faith in a God who had called a childless pagan named Abram and blessed him beyond anything he deserved; faith in a God who called a sorry and miserable group of slaves out of Egypt and blessed them beyond anything they deserved.  But Israel got complacent, and comfortable, and forgot the source of her blessings.  Instead of trusting God, she trusted in horses and chariots and kings—and even foreign gods.  She thought mere formalism would satisfy God's requirement for holiness.  And her heart became hard, idolatrous, and self-righteous.  So for all their love of torah, the hearts of the Pharisees were far from God—and in that, they represented most of the people in Israel.  They exalted themselves and presumed upon God, when they should have been humble before him, thanking him for his grace.  When judgement day came, they were ready to sing that litany of their righteousness: We're not like other people.  We fast and we tithe.  We're circumcised and we keep the sabbath.  And God would high-five them and the invite them along to go smite the sinners and tax collectors and gentiles.  Their hearts will filled with pride, not faith. Habakkuk was one of those prophets that had warned Israel in the days before the exile.  “Look at the proud!” he said, “His spirit is presumptuous and is not right, but the righteous shall live by faith.”  Pride and faith, Brothers and Sisters, are polar opposites. Habakkuk looked around him lamented to the Lord: O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. (Habakkuk 1:1-4) Wickedness, idolatry, injustice—pride.  Judah no longer trusted in the Lord and it showed.  The heart of the people was far from God and those who were humble, who did lean on his grace were trampled under foot.  And Habakkuk knew it couldn't go on like this forever.  He knew the Lord's judgement on a wicked and faithless and proud people had to come soon.  And so he cried out to the Lord and the Lord assured him: “The righteous shall live by faith.”  In other words, the righteous will live the way they always do, regardless of circumstances: by faith in the grace and mercy and goodness of God—not in pride, but by faith.   Pride is insidious.  It can take any form in order to push out faith.  The Pharisees were, in most ways, so close—but in them pride twisted faith itself.  I wonder what Habakkuk would think of our world.  We now have a whole season devoted to pride.  At first it was a month, but now it just seems to go on and on: Pridetide, the unholy parody of Trinitytide.  At least the Pharisees were prideful for their good works.  Today, the wicked and perverted announce their sins with pride and their “ally” lackies signal their virtue as loudly as possible.  And the wealthy and the powerful, governments and corporation and businesses big and small join in the litany of pride and woe to anyone who dares to dissent and on whom the scorn and wrath of the Pride Pharisees falls.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  The proud are always convinced of their own righteousness and standing before God. And yet Jesus told so many stories in which the proud—so sure of their righteous standing—ended up finding themselves in the outer darkness, weeping and gnashing their teeth, while the tax collectors and sinners—having discovered the mercy and grace of God, having repented in faith—found themselves welcomed into the feast.  Again, pride and faith are polar opposites, mutually exclusive. And I think this is why the church, for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, has coupled this Gospel about the Pharisee and the tax collector with St. Paul's affirmation of faith at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15.  He begins with the gospel, with the good news about Jesus.  He writes: “Let me remind you, Brother [and Sisters], about the good news which I announced to you.”  I love the way it works in Greek.  Paul talks about the gospel that he gospelled to them.  The gospel is the best news ever.  It's the news that changes everything.  It's the news that dispels—or, at any rate, it should dispel—any ideas we have about being proud of ourselves.  Because Paul goes on and says, “You received this good news, and you're standing firm on it, and you are saved through it, if you hold fast the message I announced—I gospelled—to you.  Unless it was for nothing that you believed.” These were men and women who had stood on all sorts of things.  Some of them were Jews and once they had stood on that: on their circumcision, on their sabbath keeping, on their general keeping of torah.  Some of them were Gentiles.  They'd stood on their pagan gods, or on the emperor, or on their philosophies.  But then Paul came and he gospelled the gospel.  He announced the good news and it changed everything.  Or, at least it did for a time.  And then pride started creeping back in.  It's insidious.  And as pride crept in, it pushed faith in the good news out.  And Paul says of that good news: “What I handed on to you at the beginning, you see, was what I received, namely this: The Messiah died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, then he was seen by over five hundred brothers and sisters all at once, most of whom are still with us, though some fell asleep, then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles.” The good news is that Jesus died and Jesus was raised and that it happened just as God had promised in the scriptures.  Jesus led his people in a new exodus and in that exodus he revealed God's mercy and grace and God's power and might and glory.  He revealed God's faithfulness to his promises.  In Jesus' death sins are forgiven and in his resurrection the life of God, his new creation began.  If the exodus from Egypt and all it revealed about God and its annual remembrance every year in the Passover could dispel Israel's pride and fill the people with faith in their God, how much more should this new exodus from sin and death dispel our pride and bring us humbly in faith to God through Jesus?  If we will only believe and trust. That was Paul's problem.  He was filled with pride.  He refused and refused and refused.  He persecuted the church.  But as a testimony to the patient grace of God, Paul goes on.  He writes, “And last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared even to me.”  It's hard to say exactly what he means here when he says “untimely born”.  The word in question is only used this one time in the New Testament, but it refers to a premature birth.  It could be a miscarriage or premature birth where the baby lives, but it could also refer to a child monstrously deformed by having been born premature.  It may be that some people in Corinth who didn't like Paul called him a monster because of his appearance and Paul is humble owning the accusation.  But the key thing, what Paul's getting at is the risen Jesus—not just a vision of Jesus but the real, live living Jesus—appeared to him last of all and Paul wants to stress that he didn't deserve it.  “I'm the least of the apostles,” he writes.  “In fact, I don't really deserve to be called ‘apostle' at all, because I persecuted God's church.  But I am what I am because of God's grace, and his grace to me wasn't wasted.” Paul has been the epitome of the proud Pharisee.  And then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and every last bit of his pride came crashing down around him.  Seeing Jesus alive was the proof that the gospel was true and if the gospel was true, none of the things in which Paul had prided himself mattered any more.  The only thing that mattered was faith—faith in Jesus the Messiah who died and rose again.  Paul knew he didn't deserve that vision of Jesus.  He didn't deserve the grace of God.  But there it was.  God had given his son to die, so that Paul, the proud Pharisee could live.  And ditto for everyone in the church in Corinth.  God gave his son to die so that those other Jews there could live.  He gave his son to die so that soldier proud of his devotion to Caesar or the prostitute proud of her devotion Aphrodite or the witch proud of her magic or the philosopher proud of his philosophy could live.  Each one of them, confronted with the gospel had their pride dispelled and that same gospel filled them with faith in the living God and his son who died and rose again.  And forever after they came to him in humility to fall on his grace and to praise him for his merciful lovingkindness.  Even Paul, after all he accomplished as a missionary apostle, writes to them: “I am what I am because of the grace of God, and his grace to me wasn't wasted.  On the contrary, I worked harder than all of them—though it wasn't me, but God's grace which was within me.  So whether it was me or them, that was the way we announced it, and that was the way you believed.”  Paul won't even take credit for what had happened in Corinth as a result of the gospel being preached.  It wasn't Paul's skill or his reasoning or his apologetics.  It was the grace of God. Brothers and Sisters, be captivated by the grace of God on display at the cross.  There God displayed his glory and that glory ought to dispel every last bit of pride we have—whatever it is we take pride in.  The gospel shines so brightly, it exposes the things in which we take pride as filthy rags in comparison.  And when pride is gone, then the gospel—this good news of God's saving grace, this good news about the God who humbled himself to take our form and to die for us so that we, his enemies can be his friends again, good news of the god who gave his own life to forgive our sins, that good news ought to fill us with faith overflowing.  So Brothers and Sisters, hear the good news about Jesus this morning.  How he died and rose again for you.  Not because you are so great, but because he loves you—his precious creation so much—hear that good news in the scriptures and in the liturgy and when you come to his Table.  Let it dispel all pride; be humbled by the gospel, and be filled instead with faith.  In the midst of a broken word, faith in the living God will begin to set things to rights, not pride in ourselves.  Faith in the living God, not pride in ourselves, is our real and lasting source of hope. Let's pray: Lord God, you declare your almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace, that we, running the way of your commandments, may receive your gracious promises, and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 3 Bible study.Ever feel like you're trying to follow Jesus all by yourself? You don't need to. You are not alone. Even Paul didn't do ministry alone. In today's passage, we will learn what made Paul tick and the importance of  team as we remember that God did not create us to serve Him alone. 1 Thessalonians 3 Bible study -https://studyandobey.com/inductive-bible-study/thessalonians-studies/1thessalonians3/Thessalonians Bible Studies With Discussion Questions - https://studyandobey.com/inductive-bible-study/thessalonians-studies/Thessalonians Bible study guide on Amazon -https://amzn.to/42Yn8ptThessalonians E-book Bible Study -https://studyandobey.com/product/study-guide-thessalonians/Study and Obey's Bible study guides on Amazon -https://amzn.to/48SgPEN(As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)Study and Obey Free Weekly Podcast on Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/study-and-obey/id1571266150Our website of 800+ practical and free Bible studies - https://studyandobey.comSupport this ministry -https://studyandobey.com/support/25+ Bible study guides for individual or group study on many different books of the Bible - https://studyandobey.com/shop/Support the show

Drawing from Romans 7:18–8:1, Nicole tackles a deeply relatable struggle: the disappointment we feel when we fall short of our own standards. In this episode, she walks listeners through the Apostle Paul’s admission of this struggle—wanting to do right but failing to do so—and points to Jesus as the ultimate answer. Rather than gritting our teeth and trying harder, we are invited to fix our eyes on Christ, who offers forgiveness, removes condemnation, and gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us toward life and peace. Want to be a part of our community Bible Study? Sign up for our Fall Study on Daniel at nicoleunice.com/daniel Main Takeaways You’re not alone in your struggle.Even Paul—the great church planter and author of much of the New Testament—wrestled with doing what he didn’t want to do. The Christian life isn’t about “getting better” at religion.As we draw closer to God’s holiness, we become more aware of our sin—but also more dependent on His grace. Shame hides us from God, grace draws us near.Sin’s power is not just in the act but in the shame that follows, which keeps us from God’s healing presence. The Holy Spirit is a gentle force.He moves into every corner of our lives, shining light on what needs healing—not to condemn, but to restore. Fix your eyes on your Savior, not your sin.Victory is already won in Christ; your identity is secure as a beloved child of God.

Even Paul wrestled with sin. His inner battle reflects what every believer feels: wanting to obey, but falling short. This war within doesn't mean you're not saved—it means you are. Take heart: Jesus has already won the victory.

Send us a textEver wonder how your darkest moments might be preparing you for something greater? Paul's journey from religious zealot to gospel preacher offers a powerful blueprint for understanding God's redemptive work in our lives.The conversation dives deep into Galatians where Paul boldly declares that his gospel came "not from man, but through revelation of Jesus Christ." This isn't mere theological posturing—it's a revolutionary claim that challenges everything about how we understand conversion and calling.What makes Paul's testimony so compelling is the dramatic contrast between his former life and his ministry. As he puts it, "I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it." He wasn't just casually opposed to Christianity; he was its chief opponent, "profiting in Judaism above many" of his contemporaries. This background eliminated any human explanation for his transformation.The most profound insight emerges when Paul reveals: "When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me." This recognition that God set him apart from birth—long before his Damascus road encounter—revolutionizes how we understand divine purpose. Even Paul's years of persecution fell within God's sovereign plan.Listeners share powerful personal testimonies that mirror Paul's experience—from practicing witchcraft to finding Christ, from religious pride to humble service. These stories illustrate how God often repurposes our strongest traits—whether zeal, intellect, or determination—redirecting them from destruction to proclamation.Ready to discover how your past might be preparing you for your purpose? Join us as we continue exploring Galatians, where justification by faith, the true Israel of God, and Paul's confrontation with Peter await in coming episodes. Your own Damascus road moment might be closer than you think.Support the show

Marriage is one of the greatest blessings — and one of the greatest refining processes — we can experience. But if we're honest, many of us carry regrets when it comes to how we've treated our spouse, how we've handled conflict, or the words we've spoken in frustration. We don't always recognize how often harshness sneaks into our marriage, chipping away at intimacy, connection, and joy. But here's the good news: God's love can heal, restore, and transform even the most regret-filled moments in your relationship. In a recent conversation with author and speaker Rhonda Stoppe, we unpacked the profound truth of living with "no regrets" in marriage — and the practical steps to get there. You Can Break Free From the Regrets Holding You Back Let's be honest — we've all made mistakes in marriage, in parenting, in life. Those regrets? They can paralyze us. Rhonda reminded us that regret is often a weapon the enemy uses to keep us from becoming the women God designed us to be. But here's the truth — God's love washes those regrets away. Philippians tells us to “forget what lies behind and strain toward what lies ahead.” Even Paul had to lay his past down — his role in Stephen's death, his persecution of believers — yet God still used him powerfully. The same is true for you. Whether your regrets stem from the way you've treated your spouse, parenting mistakes, or deep wounds from your own upbringing, you are not disqualified from God's call on your life. The Destructive Power of Harshness in Marriage Rhonda unpacked something so practical yet so convicting: how often our inner thoughts turn harsh long before words ever leave our mouth. Ever had the entire argument with your husband in your head before he even walked through the door? I've been there! You play out the "you always" or "you never" narrative and boom — your harsh words fly the second he steps inside. But as Rhonda beautifully reminded us, love "believes all things" (1 Corinthians 13). That means believing the best about our spouse — assuming good intentions — not assigning negative motives. Harshness can destroy intimacy faster than almost anything else. It pushes our husband away emotionally. It makes our home a place he — and even our children — dread coming back to. The Courage to Repent: Humility Over Pride This hit me hard. Rhonda shared how pride keeps so many people from growth. It's painful to look back and realize we've done things wrong for so long. But friend, God already knows it all — and still loves you. When we confess, repent, and humble ourselves before Him, He transforms us from the inside out. David's story is such an example. After his sin with Bathsheba, he didn't make excuses. He repented with a broken, contrite heart — and God restored him. If harshness, selfishness, or regret has gripped your heart, your story isn't over. God offers freedom, but it starts with humility. Are You a Harsh Spouse? How to Recognize & Change Harshness is sneaky. Many of us don't even recognize when it's become part of our communication. Rhonda described it as trying to control or hurt with your words to get your way — whether out of fear, frustration, or habit. Here are some signs of harshness in marriage: You regularly raise your voice or speak with a biting tone. Your family feels like they have to walk on eggshells around you. You replay your spouse's flaws in your mind more than their strengths. You assume negative motives for your spouse's actions. If that's you — take heart! You can change. It starts with repentance, inviting God's Spirit to wash over you, and intentionally building new habits. Building a No-Regrets Marriage: Practical Next Steps Rhonda didn't just leave us with conviction — she gave such hopeful steps forward: Get in the Word Daily God's Word renews your mind. Listen to scripture, write it out, feast on His promises like daily bread. Find Godly Community You need women around you who love Jesus and will speak truth in love — especially older, wise women. (#OldLadiesKnowStuff — I love that!) Choose to Believe the Best Make it a practice to assume good about your spouse. Remember how you did that when you were dating? Let's bring that mindset back! Apologize & Repair If your harshness has caused damage — humbly ask for forgiveness. Your vulnerability can open doors for healing, even if it takes time. Cling to God's Love First Your happiness isn't dependent on your husband's actions — it's rooted in how deeply you believe God's love for you. The Legacy You Build Starts Today I adored Rhonda's reminder that the home we build today — with love, forgiveness, humility — shapes our children's future marriages and their walk with God. You don't want to look back with regret because of harshness or pride. But even if that's part of your story, God's grace offers a reset, starting today. We are rooting for you! May God's kind heart move your own heart to kindness today. God bless you! With love, The Delight Your Marriage Team PS - If you'd like to check out more of Rhonda's resources (She's great, isn't she?!), podcast, and books, please visit her website: https://www.rhondastoppe.com/ PPS - If the thought of being 'the harsh spouse' made you tense up in defense ("That isn't me! Besides, I wouldn't be harsh if x, y, z...") or made you tear up knowing that it's true, we invite you to a book a free Clarity Call. Kindness, patience, gentleness, and love CAN be the first response. Your marriage does not have to be filled with criticism and harshness. Your home can be light and joyful. Let us help you. We'd love to chat: delightyourmarriage.com/cc PPPS - Here is a quote from a recent graduate: "Although on the surface, I would persuade myself I was ok, and that I was doing a good job as a husband, I knew deep down that something was wrong. My wife, though kindly and friendly (she is a lovely soul, who genuinely looks after my best interests), seemed apathetic to me at times, or unnecessarily critical...Completely unintentionally I had made my wife feel ignored, not attended to, and taken for granted… Communication was generally businesslike rather than affectionate. …As the program has gone on, huge strides have been made in our marriage. We now spend quality time together most meal times, we've started going out on dates again, we are much more playful than before and we enjoy being with each other. Most importantly, my wife has relaxed, she's begun to trust me, and her true bubbly self is coming out into the open."

Send us a textThe heated debate over whether apostles and prophets exist today cuts to the heart of how we understand Scripture's authority and God's ongoing work in the church. This eye-opening discussion presents a bold challenge to popular claims of modern apostolic and prophetic offices.Starting with a clear assertion that these biblical offices have ceased, the conversation examines why this position isn't merely theological preference but rooted in careful biblical examination. Jesus himself marked a definitive timeline when he declared "the law and prophets were until John," identifying John the Baptist as the final prophet appointed to deliver divine communications.Revelation 21:14 provides particularly compelling evidence with its description of the New Jerusalem having "twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." This specificity—exactly twelve apostles—appears throughout Scripture where apostles are consistently referenced with the definite article "the," indicating a specific, limited group rather than an ongoing office available to believers throughout church history.The qualifications for apostleship laid out in Acts required direct witness of Christ from baptism through ascension and resurrection. This criterion alone makes modern apostolic claims impossible to substantiate. Even Paul, whose apostleship might appear exceptional, satisfied these core qualifications through his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ and divinely appointed mission.Those who claim these offices today face a fundamental problem—they cannot produce revelation beyond what Scripture already contains. If the qualification for being a prophet or apostle is simply communicating biblical truth, then all faithful believers would qualify, rendering these titles meaningless by biblical standards.Don't be misled by those who claim special authority through these titles. Scripture provides everything needed for faith and godliness through the completed canon that the original apostles and prophets delivered. Their work was foundational, and we continue to build upon what they established.Support the show

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 19-20; Ps 55; Matt 28 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, “May 11th, 2025 Heather,” Heather guides us through day 131 of our journey through the scriptures, inviting listeners from around the world to gather around the warmth of God's love. Together, we read from 2 Samuel 19-20, Psalm 55, and conclude with Matthew 28, reflecting on King David's tumultuous return to power, a psalmist's cry for help, and the earth-shaking hope of Jesus' resurrection. With Mother's Day as a backdrop, Heather shares personal reflections on grief, hope, and the mystery of resurrection, drawing inspiration from her own family's recent loss. She beautifully connects the promise of transformation found in scripture with the journey of saying goodbye to loved ones, and invites us to rest in the hope of restoration and new life. The episode closes with powerful prayers for peace, guidance, and unity, as well as the encouragement to carry God's love into the world. So grab your Bible, settle in, and let's discover together the sustaining love and hope found in God's story—and remember: you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Resurrection and the Mystery of Transformation I don't think I have ever considered the resurrection of Jesus and Mother's Day at the same time. But as we celebrate Mother's Day today, there are many of us whose mothers are no longer with us. Hunter and I, along with many of our family, gathered around my mother's grave site this last weekend as we laid her ashes to rest alongside my dad's, his brothers, and their parents. My mom has been enveloped into the great mystery, the true home that we will only discover when we finally shed this earthly husk and are transformed. But transformed into what? Even Paul struggled to understand or know it. In his attempts to describe it, he used the example of the everyday seed, a tiny dry brown microcosm of life, which only blooms in full beauty when it has been nestled into the dark soil. There, through water, sun, and light, it finally emerges into a new life-giving plant, looking nothing like the thing it started as. And in its transformation, it takes its unique place in an ongoing participation of life. We are part of this great mystery, which those who have gone before us are discovering, connected through the sustaining life of our loving creator. For now, we experience the heat of the sun, the droughts, the weeds that seem to threaten, even as we learn to cast off our dry husk, yearning to be fully fruitful, fully alive. Ours is to trust in the process of change, resting in the hope of transformation and restoration. We are the small dry seed, the life of the creator deep within us, only fully transformed as we settle into the earthy soil, trusting in the great hope that resurrection will come. Buried in brokenness, raised in glory; buried in weakness, raised in strength. That's a hope and a mystery I hold for my own soul, for my family, and for all who hear these words today. May we live in the light of resurrection, trusting the God who brings life from the dust, and in His promise that we, too, will be made new. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

You've probably heard it before that everyone has a gift. That's true — especially within the Church. Every true believer has a spiritual gift granted unto them by the Holy Spirit to further the cause of the Church and defeat the forces of the Enemy on the planet.In this episode, Lori from Remnant Rising joins us to describe the spiritual gifts we have and how they affect us in real, powerful ways. She also tells us how to discover our spiritual gifts and practice them so that they do not atrophy. Hiding our gifts is a victory for the Enemy!If you want to discover your spiritual gifts and think you have the true faith needed to edify the Church on earth, tune in to this episode.Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Discover the spiritual gifts granted to you by the Holy Spirit.Learn how your spiritual gifts empower you to defeat the Enemy and share the truth of God's Word.Understand what it means to have true faith in Jesus Christ and how to utilitlize the Spiritual gifts God has intended.Want to be part of what God is doing through the Revelations Podcast? You can contribute here!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast: Website | Instagram | Apple PodcastLori:  https://www.instagram.com/remnantrising5.0/Get Lori's New Book- Live Like a Champion-https://loribrazier.com/Bible Verses:Ephesians 4:11-12Ephesians 5:111 Cor 12:1-111 Cor 1:4-7Hebrews 11Joshua 10Deuteronomy 322 Timothy 1:6Ezekiel 4:7Romans 12:1-81 Peter 4:9-11Prophetic Warrior by Emma StarkThis Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[04:49] Lori's Childhood and Remnant RisingLori started Remnant in 2020 using a personal page that doubled as a business page. She thought of the title “Remnant Rising” in the evening while talking to God.She says that several of her online accounts were deleted. She believes it's because she thinks she's exposing truths people want to keep hidden.Lori refuses to consider what other people think due to the power of her conviction and faith.[16:10] Lori: “The bottom line is to further the Kingdom. It's to edify the Church and further the Kingdom.”[16:41] The Source of Spiritual GiftsWhen we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us and gives us a new perspective on everything.We also receive special abilities to use for the Kingdom.Every person is given a gift based on their faith.Lori believes that spiritual gifts empower us, and says that we are “weaponized” by Heaven.[25:49] Understanding Supernatural RevelationsLori describes “rhema words” — passages or words that you read that just jump out at you with their power.[27:07] Reagan: “It's sometimes in word of knowledge and information that the Lord wants us to pray about or think about.”According to Lori, God knows what you need and will send it to you.God will use anyone to send you His message.[30:04] Who Has Spiritual Gifts?Every believer has at least one spiritual gift. Believers with the gift of faith help encourage others to trust God.Prophecy is another spiritual gift that allows people to speak in the language of Heaven.Deliverance from demons is a gift from the Holy Spirit.Lori fully believes that faith gives us the divine strength to alter the natural outcomes of life in a supernatural way through prayer.Healings are miracles, but miracles are more than just healing. Examples include the parting of the Red Sea and Daniel being saved from lions.[42:05] Examples of Spiritual GiftsProphecy is just the ability to speak God's message and explain it. Lori doesn't want to say she's a prophet, but says she can prophesy as a teacher.Some people can also discern spirits and see spiritual influences in places, people, or decisions.Still others can speak in tongues — the Heavenly language.Listen to the full episode for more examples of spiritual gifts.[56:46] Desiring More of the SpiritBefore prophesying, we must hear the Lord's Word.[57:52] Lori: “We have to learn to listen, we have to learn to be quiet, because it's hard to just shut off your mind and not have some other agenda.”The more we practice our gifts, the closer we can get to understanding.It's possible to pray for spiritual gifts if it comes from a place of true faith.Even Paul instructs us to earnestly desire these gifts.[1:08:11] How to Discover Your Spiritual GiftsThere are online tests people can take to help discern their spiritual gifts.Several verses in the Bible list samples of spiritual gifts. Reading the Bible can help you discover yours.Lori believes that spiritual gifts exist today — despite what other sources of information might tell us.About LoriLori is an author of two books and loves to study scripture. Connect with Lori on InstagramEnjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will educate you on becoming aware and discerning the hidden truths in today's world.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts. 

Wednesday, 9 April 2025   Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. Matthew 9:10   “And it was, He – reclining in the house. And, you behold! Many taxmen and sinners, having come, they co-reclined with Jesus and His disciples” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus called on Matthew to follow Him, which he did. Now, the narrative continues with, “And it was, He – reclining in the house.”   The NKJV, following the KJV, incorrectly includes the name of Jesus. It simply says, “He.” Further, a new word, anakeimai, is used. It comes from ana, up, and keimai, to lie. Thus, it means to recline. It is true that this was normally at a dinner table, but it doesn't say that, despite many translations inserting that into their translation.   Luke 5:29, however, does reveal that this was a dinner. There, it says, “Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.” Matthew, being the author, does not draw attention to himself but leaves this notable detail for others to include.   While reclining at a meal, which may have included any sort of talk, Matthew next records, “And, you behold! Many taxmen and sinners.”   These words include a second new word, hamartólos, sinners. The word comes from the verb hamartanó. It means to miss the mark and thus err. Erring before God is sin. These were people who were defined by missing the mark. Thus, they were the type who sat in the bars all night, caroused with women, stole, prostituted, etc.   Matthew lumps the taxmen in with sinners. In doing this, it shows the really disgraceful nature of the business he was in. One can see that he shied away from the more noble details, but he was unafraid to include himself in the details that highlighted the base nature of his previous life.   These sinners were people living their lives without considering their position before God. It appears that Matthew was so excited about his calling and his new direction in life that he wanted those he associated with to also know about Jesus and to meet Him personally. Therefore, “having come, they co-reclined with Jesus and His disciples.”   Here is a third new word, sunanakeimai. It is formed from the same word translated as reclined above, but it is prefixed by sun, meaning together or with. Thus, they joined in reclining. Saying co-reclined gets the point across.   Life application: Matthew's words give us some great insights into how we too should conduct our lives. We were all sinners before God, having lived lives that marked us for condemnation. And yet, by His grace, we have been brought near through the blood of Christ.   Why should we shy away from admitting our past and using it to show others how far we have come? Some in churches think they are so holy that they can ignore the fallen plight of others and revel in their own supposed goodness. But according to the Bible, that is a ridiculous proposition. Even Paul, who was a Pharisee, admitted his past was just like everyone else –   “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:1-3   Another point about Matthew's words is that he didn't just admit his past and move on. Rather, he joyfully brought the sinners he associated with to a meeting with Jesus. What is the point of getting saved and then secluding yourself away from the very people who need him as you once did?   But this is the doctrine of so many churches. It is as if a clean break from the past is necessary to make one holy. Paul again says otherwise –   “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” 1 Corinthians 5:9, 10   Paul understood that we live in a fallen world, and we had every right and responsibility to associate with those who were unsaved. In fact, Paul's duties as a missionary would have been completely pointless if he only went to believers... because there were none where he normally went.   Rather, Paul continues in his epistle saying –   “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.” 1 Corinthians 5:11   The people we need to avoid are those who profess to be Christians but who do not live up to the standard they are called to. Too often, the church gets this completely upside down.   Glorious God, may we do what is right and proper in Your presence. When we fall short, may we acknowledge it and press on in Your grace. But help us to remember to bring along those who have not yet known You or Your grace. May we faithfully witness concerning Your goodness to those around us. Amen.  

Today, we're diving into a topic that's crucial for every believer: the role of wise counsel in our spiritual journey. Life is filled with decisions—some small, some life-changing—and the voices we listen to can shape the direction of our faith. How do we discern the right guidance? What does Scripture say about the importance of seeking godly advice? Let's get to work.Our springboard for today's discussion is: Proverbs 11:14—"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."This verse reminds us that seeking wisdom isn't a sign of weakness but of strength. Throughout the Bible, we see men and women who flourished because they listened to wise counsel. Moses relied on Jethro's advice to delegate leadership responsibilities. David had Nathan to guide him. Even Paul mentored Timothy, passing down wisdom that shaped the early church. God never intended for us to walk alone—we thrive when we have godly voices speaking into our lives.The right counsel brings clarity, discernment, and protection from costly mistakes. When we isolate ourselves, pride and confusion can cloud our judgment. But when we surround ourselves with mature believers, mentors, and spiritual leaders, we gain a broader perspective and a stronger foundation for making decisions. Wise counsel aligns with God's Word, challenges us to grow, and helps us navigate life's uncertainties with faith and wisdom.Question of the Day: Who are the wise voices in your life, and how have they helped shape your walk with God?Let's Pray: Lord, thank You for the gift of wise counsel. Surround us with mentors and godly leaders who speak truth into our lives. Give us humility to receive wisdom and the discernment to apply it well. In Jesus' name, Amen.Let's Get To Work!Support MyR2B Ministries – Your partnership helps sustain and expand this ministry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Becoming a long-term disciple-making and church-planting presence will require us to maintain unity. It is no secret that most churches that have been around for long have experienced disunity and division, often resulting in church splits. Even Paul's favorite church -- the Philippians! -- had a growing rift, and in 2:1-11 Paul is trying to get ahead of it. He reminds the church of all they've shared together in Jesus, and calls them fight for unity through the the pursuit of humility. Ultimately, humility is the fruit of seeing and savoring the self-emptying, self-sacrificing, saving love of Jesus! We are praying Philippians 4:19 every day at 4:19 pm (follow along in #prayer), fasting for 24 hours each week (as you are able), and giving sacrificially. Are you in? #gospelcenteredtillwedie

The Son Unveiled in Me Galatians 1:10-17 by William Klock As I was digging around in our crawlspace this week, I found my 1970s Tupperware lunchbox full of my old Star Wars action figures.  Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan and Darth Vader have these neat little light sabres hidden in their arms that slide out when it's time for them to duel.  At one point I had Luke's X-wing fighter and I was remembering putting him in the cockpit and flying around the house, looking for the Death Star's thermal exhaust port.  Luke might have been in the cockpit, but I was going to destroy the Death Star and save the galaxy.  As the week went on I was thinking about our text from Galatians 1and particularly Paul's background.  I started wondering what sort of games and role-playing young Paul would have engaged in?  Who were his heroes?  Based on what he tells us about himself and from what we know of First Century Judaism and of the Pharisees, it isn't too hard to imagine Paul playing with his brothers or his neighbourhood friends and taking on the part of, say, Phinehas, Aaron's grandson.  When the men of Israel were enticed into sexual sin and idolatry by the pagan women of Peor, Phinehas, in an act of holy zeal, ran the ringleader through with a spear, pinning him to the ground along with his Midianite paramour.  Or maybe Elijah.  Even though it seemed that everyone in Israel had turned to pagan idols, Elijah dared to confront the prophets of Baal.  On them mountain top, Elijah taunted them and made fun of their god, then—again with holy zeal—called down fire from heaven.  Or Mattathias, the zealous priest who sparked the Maccabean Revolt.  Antiochus Epiphanes offered him the title “Friend of the King” if he would offer a sacrifice to the Greek gods.  Matthias refuse, but another priest offered to make the sacrifice in his place.  Matthias slaughtered that people-pleasing priest on the altar and called on everyone who was zealous for torah and the covenant to join him. These were the heroes of the Pharisees and all the other faithful in Israel in the days of Paul.  In light of that, it's ironic that the people in Galatia have accused him of being a “people pleaser”, because that's exactly what Paul—in his old days—would have called any Jews who weren't as zealous as him in keeping torah.  Of course, it's the false teachers in Galatia who are being the real people pleasers, but Paul won't say that until the end of the letter. So let's start where we left off last Sunday, with verse 10 of Galatians 1.  Paul has written some pretty scathing words to the Galatians.  He's outlined the essentials of his gospel and he's pronounced a curse on anyone who teaches anything else.  And now he writes: Well now, does that sound as though I'm trying to make up to people—or to God?  Or that I'm trying to curry favour with people?  If I were still pleasing people, I wouldn't be a slave of the Messiah.   It's a safe bet that when you hear someone warning about false gospels and pronouncing curses on those who teach such things, you're not dealing with a people pleaser.  Paul makes that clear.  And then he turns the accusation back on them.  “If I were still pleasing people,” he writes.  As much as Paul the Pharisee had devoted his life to going after the people pleasers who compromised torah in order to curry the favour of the gentiles, well now, from the perspective of life in Jesus and the Spirit, that old life of his turns out—ironically—to have been a life of people pleasing.  He was a slave to them even though it didn't seem that way at the time, but now he's a slave to the Messiah and his only interest is in faithfully proclaiming his message and pleasing the God who sent him. But Paul needs to explain himself a good bit more, so he does something that he doesn't do very often: he tells them—and us—about himself.  Whenever Paul does tell one of these before and after stories, it's always to end with Jesus.  He does this in Philippians 3 to make the point that for the sake of Jesus and the gospel he's given up his privileges.  What he says here comes to a climax later in Chapter 2 as he passionately declares that “I am crucified with the Messiah” so that “I through the law died to the law” because “the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.”  In the end, none of this is about Paul.  It's about Jesus and the only reason Paul writes any of this is to defend against the charge that his gospel is of human origin and, therefore, in some way deficient.  So he begins in verses 11 and 12: You see, Brothers, let me make it clear to you: the gospel announced by me is not a mere human invention.  I did not receive it from a human being, not was I taught it; it came through an unveiling of Jesus the Messiah.   Literally, “I would have you know, Brothers”.  This is important.  Paul first defended his apostleship.  He was commissioned directly by Jesus himself and he speaks for Jesus and no one else.  Now he defends his gospel.  It's not something he cooked up himself, nor is it something he got second-hand from others. This is worth spending a little time parsing out.  The gospel that you and I know and preach came to us from others.  It was passed down from our parents and grandparents, from our Sunday school teachers and pastors, maybe from a preacher we watched on TV or a book we read.  But somehow all of us here are believers in Jesus the Messiah because someone else proclaimed the good news about him to us and now we—I hope—proclaim it to others.  Even if we first encountered the gospel through the pages of scripture, it came from some other person.  Maybe from Matthew or John or even Paul, but from someone.  Part of the work of the Spirit has been to see that this gospel has been preserved and passed down from one person to the next faithfully.  Even if you or I get it wrong, the Spirit-inspired scriptures are there to set it right again.  But Paul's point is that he didn't get the gospel from another human being.  If he'd got his gospel from someone else—even from Peter or James—it's always possible he got something confused or wrong in the transmission.  If he'd got it from another human, then it's possible their accusation could stick.  So Paul stresses: “I didn't get it from anyone else.  It wasn't taught to me by anyone else.  The gospel came to me directly through an unveiling—he uses that word apocalypse, the same one John uses to describe his “revelation” of Jesus—the gospel came to Paul through an unveiling of Jesus the Messiah.  In other words, Jesus, who was raised from the dead and now enthroned in heaven, suddenly and unexpectedly became visible to Paul.  God's future was revealed to Paul in the present and it changed everything, because Paul now can't help but see everything in light of this Jesus whom he knew to be crucified and now knows with absolute certainty, has risen from the dead.  Brothers and Sisters, the reality that Jesus rose from the dead changes everything.  It changed everything for Paul.  It should change everything for us.  It's the lens through which we should see everything. Paul surely must have told the Galatians the story of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  They already knew the details so he doesn't recount them all here.  It's that they've forgotten why that day was so important to Paul, so in the next five verses he explains why that event was so important.  He writes in verse 13: You've heard the way I behaved when I was still within “Judaism”.  I persecuted the church of God violently and ravaged it.  I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age and people.  I was extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.   Paul's giving them a before and after portrait of himself.  This is the “before”.  Think of Paul when Stephen was stoned to death for proclaiming the good news about Jesus.  He held people's coats so they could throw stones.  A few years later he sought out authorisation from the Jewish officials so that he could actually hunt down these Christians and bring them in for “justice”.  Paul wasn't fooling around.  It helps us understand why and it helps us understand what Saul of Tarsus was all about if we understand what he means here by “Judaism”.  To us “Judaism” means a religion the same way we think of “Christianity” or “Islam” or Buddhism” as religions.  But in the First Century no one thought that way.  Paul certainly didn't think of “Judaism” over against “Christianity”.  Paul uses this uncommon word Judaismos that seems to have been coined by the author of 2 Maccabees.  It doesn't just refer to a set of beliefs and practises in the sense that modern people think about a “religion”.  Instead, it describes the Judeans who were loyal to Jewish faith and practise, who actively promoted and advocated these traditional ways of Jewish life, and who actively defended it against the Pagans and, especially, defended it against those Jews who would compromise it for the sake of the pagans—people pleasers. As he says, he was “zealous” for those ancestral traditions.  He was out to purify the Jewish people: to fend off pagan influences, to get his fellow Jews to take a stand for the covenant, and to bring compromisers and people-pleasers to heel.  Paul had grown up with these values.  His heroes were the men of the past who were also zealous for the Lord and for his law.  There are various writings from that time period that give us a sense of how Paul would have thought.  One of the best is the opening chapters of 1 Maccabees, where we read about Mattathias and his rebellion against the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes.  As I said before, Mattathias was a priest, and when the Greeks tried to entice him to offer a sacrifice to their gods, he refused.  When another of his fellow priests agreed to offer the sacrifice, Mattathias had had enough.  He killed that priest right there on the altar, along with the Greek official.  His rebellion went up not just against their pagan Greek rulers, but against any of their fellow Jews who were compromising the ancestral traditions in order to get along with the pagans.  Mattathias' speech meant to rouse his fellow Jews to action, focuses on the long line of Jewish heroes who were loyal to the Lord's covenant, from Abraham right down to what was the present day.  Mattathias emphasised especially Phinehas and Elijah.  The later rabbis did the same.  Phinehas had run a spear right through the compromising Zimri and his pagan paramour.  Elijah taunted the prophets of Baal before he slaughtered them and called on the people of Israel to purge pagan influence from the land.  The Maccabees called on that same tradition about two centuries before Jesus, when they went up against the Greeks and against their own people who would compromise with the pagans.  This is what Paul is talking about when he says he was zealous for the ancestral traditions.  I ran around the backyard with Luke Skywalker in his X-wing to destroy the Death Star.  If Paul had grown up with action figures, he'd have had a Phinehas with “real spear action” and an Elijah playset where he could build an altar and call down fire from heaven on the prophets of Baal.  He might have had a little Mattathias, a sword in one hand to take on the Greeks and a knife in the other to circumcise the Jewish people pleasers.  This is the zealous background that drove him to persecute the church.  Paul knew that Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah.  He knew that Jesus had been crucified.  And he didn't believe the tales for one second that Jesus had been raised from the dead.  As far as he was concerned, Jesus was dead and that meant he couldn't be the Messiah and all these Jews claiming to follow a dead Messiah, well, they were going to undermine the faith and practise of God's people. It's also worth noting how Paul refers to the “church of God”.  It's literally “assembly of God”.  Paul likes to use this phrase to distinguish the church from the Jews and from the Greeks.  He borrows it from the Greek version of the Old Testament, which talks about Israel as the “assembly of Israel”, “assembly of the Lord”, or “assembly of God”.  And Paul's point in using it to refer to the church is that now this multiethnic body of Jews and gentiles—now it is the assembly of God.  And not just the local assemblies, but it makes the point that they're all part of this bigger thing, this bigger assembly. So Paul looks back to his past life and reminds the Galatians who he was.  He was zealous for the traditions of his ancestors.  Not just that, but he was no novice.  He was a diaspora Jew, but he wasn't like some others who knew just enough of the ancestral customs to get by.  He was steeped in it all and he was utterly devoted to it—again, to the point that he actually sought out permission from the Jewish officials to hunt down Christians in Damascus.  And, of course, that's when everything changed for Paul. He goes on in verses 15-17: But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, was pleased to unveil his son in me, so that I might announce the good news about him among the nations—immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood.  Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me.  No, I went away to Arabia, and afterward returned to Damascus.   This is another point in Paul's story where we have to be careful.  As modern people we read this and we think about it in terms of Paul “converting” from Judaism to Christianity.  Again, that's a very modern understanding of “religion” that didn't exist in Paul's day.  Paul never stopped being zealous for the God of Abraham, for the law and the prophets, and the promises of God.  He was a faithful Jew and as a faithful Jew he longed for the coming of the Messiah.  He prayed for the coming of the Messiah, for the Lord to come and rescue his people and set the world to rights.  It's just that when it came to Jesus—well—the idea of a crucified Messiah was blasphemous.  That's why he hated Christians and persecuted them.  But then the risen Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and it changed everything.  Because suddenly Paul knew that all the stories about Jesus having been raised from the dead were true.  He'd been wrong.  The impossible had happened.  The Jews and the Romans had killed Jesus, they—just as Paul had been doing—ruled him a false Messiah, but then God raised him from the dead and, in doing that, God vindicated his son.  That meant that Jesus really was the Messiah.  The God of Israel proved it.  And for Paul this meant that all the stories he'd grown up with, all the promises of God he'd longed to see fulfilled, all of it, all of them were fulfilled in Jesus. Again, Paul uses that word “unveiled” again.  This same God who had set him apart in his mother's womb, this same God who had called Paul by his grace—think of that as Paul personalizing what Jews thought of themselves as a people chosen and called by God's grace to be his people—this same God of Israel had now unveiled his son. And as Paul writes this, if you know the Hebrew scriptures, it's really obvious that he's telling his story in a way that will make people think of the old prophets, especially Jeremiah and Isaiah.  Jeremiah wrote about the Lord knowing him and calling him before he was even formed in his mother's womb.  And when Isaiah writes about the servant—the one who in some places embodies Israel and in other places stands over against the people of Israel—Isaiah writes about the Lord forming him in the womb—calling him and naming him, giving him his prophetic vocation—before he's even born.  I think Paul calls back to the calling of Jeremiah and to Isaiah's servant, because when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus he gave him just this sort of divine calling…like the servant, the Lord “formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him”.  And as the Lord said to Jeremiah, “I appoint you a prophet to the nations” and to Isaiah, “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” So these people in Galatia are claiming that Paul has forsaken the faith and traditions of his people, but what Paul is saying in response is that, one, it was Jesus himself who called him to this work and, two, that he has in no way forsaken the faith and traditions of his people.  To the contrary, he knows those traditions well and in light of this revelation that Jesus really is Israel's Messiah, then this good news isn't just for Israel…it's for everyone.  They think that Paul, in going to the gentiles—or maybe better in the way he's going to the gentiles—they see him as a people pleaser who is disloyal to the faith and Paul's saying that, no, it's just the opposite.  His message to the gentiles is the fulfilment of that faith—the fulfilment of Israel's calling and of the law and the prophets.  Paul had thought that being zealous for the law meant opposing Jesus, when in fact, in light of Jesus having risen from the dead, being zealous for the law means being zealous for Jesus and even taking this good news to the gentiles. This transformation in Paul and in his thinking points to another thing we might miss—or, in some cases, that's obscured by some translations—but Paul says that God unveiled his son in me.  We might expect him to say to me, but that's not how he puts it.  It's in me and I think Paul chose his words—as always—very carefully.  It's not just that God commissioned Paul to proclaim the good news about Jesus to the nations, as if it was just about what he said.  It is that, but I think Paul's key point here is that Paul himself has become a sort of embodiment of the gospel.  This Pharisee who was zealous for God, but in such a way that it made him zealous in his hatred for the gentiles and any Jews who might compromise with them, this Pharisee has been so transformed by the unveiling of God's son in Jesus, that his zeal for God has been turned upside-down—or maybe we should say, right-side-up—and now that zeal is taking him to the nations with that good news. Now, it took Paul a good while to work this out.  Meeting the risen Jesus forced him into a massive paradigm shift in his thinking and even his identity.  He had questions.  Big questions.  But he stresses he didn't go to “flesh and blood” to ask his questions or to get help sorting it all out.  Again, people were accusing him of having a human-made gospel and Paul reiterates that it not only came directly from Jesus, but even in sorting it all out for himself, he went to the Lord, not to other people.  Specifically, he says, he didn't go up to Jerusalem.  That's what most people probably would have expected him to do.  That's what I would have done, if I were in Paul's shoes.  That's where Peter and James were.  They were the chief apostles and the leaders of the church.  They'd been wrestling with all this good news stuff for a while already.  They were the ones who had spent years with Jesus himself.  They had the answers. But instead, Paul says he went to Arabia—in First Century geography, that meant Mount Sinai.  Why did Paul do that?  Because, again, he knew the prophets.  This time Paul echoes the story of Elijah.  If you're a First Century man of zeal, it makes sense to follow in the footsteps of Elijah—one of the greatest heroes of zeal. Think of the story of Elijah.  After the events on Mount Carmel and Elijah's slaughter of the prophets of Baal, King Ahab was angry.  Elijah was forced to run and hide, so he ran to Mount Sinai.  It made sense.  That was the place where the Lord had made his promises to Israel.  So Elijah went there.  He was tired.  He was depressed.  Despite all the Lord had done through him, Elijah was done.  He'd lost hope.  He went there to tell God as much.  He'd done everything he was supposed to do and—he thought—he'd failed.  He declares to the Lord, “I have been very zealous for the Lord of Hosts.”  (Notice how much that sounds like Paul.)  But the Lord wouldn't let go of Elijah.  He wouldn't accept his resignation.  Instead, he sent him to the wilderness of Damascus (again, sound familiar?) and there Elijah would be given the task to anoint a new king and a new prophet. So Saul of Tarsus, zealous for the Lord, on his way to Damascus, is met by the risen Jesus.  It was the most natural thing in the world, for Paul, to go from there to Mount Sinai, to take his zeal to the Lord, and to wrestle with the God of Abraham—to work it out until it all made sense again in light of Jesus the Messiah.  And from Mount Sinai, Paul says, the Lord sent him back to Damascus (just like Elijah) to announce the new king: Jesus the Messiah. So Paul's point is that after he met Jesus, he didn't go to Jerusalem—as his enemies seem to think he did.  He didn't go to work this all out with the original apostles.  He went, as Bishop Wright puts it so well, “he went off to do business with God, and he came to do business for God.”  And this business was to announce to the whole world that this Jesus, who was crucified and risen, Israel's Messiah, is the world's true Lord.  Paul includes these echoes of the old prophets to show how rather than being a betrayer of Israel, he's actually smack in the middle of God's Israel-shaped promises.  In calling back to Elijah, Jeremiah, and Isaiah, he's making the point that if anyone is being disloyal to the God of Israel or to the covenant—well—it's definitely not him.  The real betrayers are those who reject God's calling of Paul and his commission to take the good news of Jesus to the nations. That's as far as I'll go today.  There's a bit more to Paul's introduction and his telling of his own story, but we'll look at that next week.  So what does this mean for us?  Brothers and Sisters, notice again how everything for Paul is about Jesus the Messiah and how Jesus's resurrection from the dead is the lens through which he sees everything.  It ought to be the same way for us.  We need to be clear about what the gospel is and then we need to live in that gospel, live in this story with Jesus as its centre.  The gospel is the good news that this Jesus who was crucified has been raised from the dead and that he's the world's true Lord.  His death for sins has won the victory over sin and death and inaugurated God's new creation.  Brothers and Sisters, that's the story, that's the reality we need to live with and to live in.  Consider how it reshaped Paul.  He was zealous for the Lord, he was zealous for the covenant, he was zealous for the scriptures—for all the right things, but in the wrong way.  Meeting the risen Messiah didn't mean throwing it all away; it meant refocusing that zeal through a different lens—through Jesus.  For others—I'm thinking of those who came from a zealously pagan background—inhabiting the gospel was different in that it meant throwing everything away.  Or maybe it meant seeing the world, seeing life, seeing others through the new lens of Jesus rather than the lens of the old pagan gods or their old sinful ways of life or through the corrupt systems of the present evil age.  Inhabiting the gospel and reorienting ourselves and our lives around Jesus isn't an easy thing to do.  Even Paul had to go to Sinai for three years to wrestle with the reality of the risen Jesus.  But however hard it is and however long it may take, Brothers and Sisters, it's essential that we do this—we personally and we the church.  Part of being gospel people—of being slaves of the Messiah, as Paul puts it—means taking every thought captive to Jesus the Messiah and filtering it through this gospel lens.  Every thought, every value, every priority, every act, every bit of our zeal and turning it over and turning it inside-out, deciding whether we keep it or throw it away or rethink it in light of the good news about Jesus the Messiah. Let's pray: Heavenly Father, as you've unveiled your Son in Paul, you have also unveiled him in each of us.  We pray now for the grace to be faithful to this gospel calling and this gospel life—that your Son, Jesus, would truly be unveiled to everyone around us by the gospel work you are working in us by the power of your Spirit.  Keep Jesus, his cross, and his resurrection always before us, keep our eyes focused on him, and by your Spirit, help us to truly live in your good news.  Through Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Morning Offering, September 7, 2024Every morning, join Father Brad as he begins the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, Father Brad guides you in prayer, shares a brief reflection grounding your day in the Church's rhythm of feast days and liturgy, and provides you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. Let us do as the saints urge and begin our days in prayer together so as a community of believers we may join the Psalmist in saying, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3-4)________________

Yesterday, a “biological male” from Algeria deemed as a woman, beat Italy's Angela Carini in a Women's boxing match at the Olympics. It's yet another example surrounding the Games of Slaughter whereby the world has been turned upside down and prophetic utterances are coming to light. Even Paul in the Holy Bible speaks of how mankind loses its collective mind before we witness the wrath of God. This makes us wonder if all of what we are seeing is self-perpetuating and that the growing perversions, similar to the Roman Empire, indicate unwise decisions that lead to our downfall. The Olympics again are being perceived as a pattern of the deviancy we are embracing while turning us into gold medalists in cognitive dissonance. Tonight on Ground Zero, Clyde Lewis talks about THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY (AND A LITTLE PISSED OFF TOO). Listen Live: https://groundzero.radio Archived Shows: https://aftermath.media

Friday, 8 March 2024   but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. Acts 25:19   More literally, the Greek reads, “But certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus having been dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive” (CG).   In the previous verse, Festus told Agrippa that Paul's accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes he had expected. He continues now, saying, “But certain questions concerning their own religion.”   Festus now uses the same basic word as that which Paul used in Acts 17:22. There it was deisidaimonesteros, and here it is deisidaimonia. They carry the same meaning, and each is only used one time in the Bible. It basically means a “dread of a deity.”   In essence, it refers to a religion or a superstition because of a fear of that deity. As Agrippa is a Jew, it is certain that Festus is using the term in a general sense, just as Paul did in Acts 17:22. It may not be his religion, but he acknowledges that it is Paul's.   Some versions say “superstition” instead of “religion,” but that is not the intent. Festus was not there to insult King Agrippa but to acknowledge the religion of the Jews. It was such points of their theology that “they had against him.”   Festus was expecting some type of aggravated crime to be charged against Paul. Instead, however, they were spending their time trying to disassociate their beliefs from those of Paul. As has been seen in the past, the religion of the Jews was considered an acceptable religion under Roman rule (religio licita).   However, the Jews constantly attempted to separate faith in Jesus from their faith. If they could do this, it would mean that Christianity might be considered unacceptable (religio illicita). This would make Paul an offender against Rome. Every attempt thus far had failed, but they continued to press this angle of attack against Paul.   Their accusations were against Paul's interpretation of their religion “and concerning a certain Jesus having been dead.”   The verb is a perfect participle. Festus had heard that Jesus was dead, and he had no reason to believe that wasn't true. Not accepting the premise of a resurrection, he assumed that if Jesus had died, He was still dead.   Until this point, the name “Jesus” hasn't been cited by Luke at all in the account. Despite this, it is apparent from the words of Festus that Jesus has been the subject of the entire situation. But, again, this Jesus was dead. Even Paul admitted he had died. To him, it was an axiom that when someone is dead, he stays dead.   Therefore, he uses the perfect participle. The results of the action continued even to the present time. On the other hand, this supposedly dead Jesus was One “whom Paul affirmed to be alive.”   In this case, the verb is in the imperfect tense, which implies that despite what he had heard about Jesus dying, even from Paul, he still kept insisting that He was alive. It seems that Festus is holding the entire scenario in contempt despite Paul's continued proclamation of the resurrection of Christ. The same blinders that covered the eyes of Israel's leaders also covered the eyes of this Roman governor. This agrees with the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 –   “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.”   Life application: Today, much of the world has heard about Jesus, including His death and resurrection. It is normally not an issue to speak about this with others and they already are aware of the details. “Sure, I have heard that. It's what Christians believe.”   However, knowing that a Christian believes this does not mean that they accept the premise themselves. Christian/atheist debates happen at colleges and seminaries all the time. The atheists know what the Christians believe but simply deny it happened. There are people in church leadership positions and professors in Christian colleges who don't really believe the things they teach.   But this is the key and central point of the faith. It is the dividing line between who is saved and who is not saved. Paul goes into great detail concerning the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, but the initial premise, that Jesus rose from the dead, is the final part of the simple gospel.   Scripture proclaimed He would die, be buried, and resurrect. Faith in that is what saves. If these things were according to Scripture, it means that God knew the future when those things were written. Thus, He is the Creator God who transcends time.   If these things were according to Scripture, then it means that God had a plan set forth in advance. Thus, He is the Initiator of the process and the One who followed through with it each step of the way. Therefore, salvation is an act which is of the Lord alone. Because of this, it logically follows that there is one and only one way to be saved – His way.   The simple and easily ignored or dismissed claim that Jesus resurrected carries with it all of the weight and authority of the final decree of God for salvation. If you have ever wondered why such a basic and simple set of words is so greatly maligned by people, it is because, as simple as they are to understand, they are some of the most incredible words one could possibly accept.   Truly, only an act of faith that what is recorded in Scripture can bring one to accept them. As this is so, how pleasing it must be to God when we demonstrate that simple act of faith. As Christians, be people of faith. If you have believed that God could raise a man from the dead, then accepting the other words of Scripture should not be that difficult to accept as well.   Lord God Almighty, what could we do that deserves Your salvation? The greatest achievements of man quickly fade away with time. The kindest gestures between humans are still tainted with the sin that resides within us. But to have faith that You can restore us to Yourself through the gospel of Jesus Christ is something completely beyond ourselves. In accepting the gospel, we are throwing ourselves totally at Your mercy. We understand this and we believe. Thank You for the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We Need To Check Ourselves (4) (audio) David Eells 1/24/24  The Blessings Of Humility Missy Pollock said, This is a quote from David's book “The Blessings of Humility” at the very end of chapter 3. I thought it was such a good ending to the chapter because it greatly blessed me!  Jesus sought a simple life. He sought not to have and do the things that men thought were great. He didn't mind speaking Truth, even if it offended the high and the mighty. He didn't mind leaving the multitudes behind in order to go seek fellowship with the Father. (Matthew 14:13; Luke 4:42; Mark 1:35; etc.) We need to emulate Him.   Jesus had such a desire to meet the needs of the people, that in some cases, He was working night and day. (Matthew 8:24-25,13:2; Mark 3:9; etc.) Jesus said, (Mat.8:20) … The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. He didn't have any time for Himself and I believe that God has some servants down here who are doing the same thing. They see the need, they're moved with compassion, and they go to meet the need, but not for the glory of man.   Jesus wasn't doing it for the glory of man because He didn't mind leaving the multitudes and going up into the mountains to pray. He's our Example, and as the Bible tells us, (1Jn.2:5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.      You Just Need Me Debbie Fenske 1/19/24 Yesterday I decided to look for some very quiet worship music that I thought I'd have playing while having my quiet time with Jesus. I found what I really liked and started to play it. Then, as I began to sit with Jesus, I heard Him, very quietly, tell me something. He said, "You don't need sound." I said, "That is really good, Lord." And then, He continued to quietly say more to me. I turned off the quiet music and listened. This is what He said.   "You don't need sound. You just need Me. Listen for My voice. You don't need a plan. You just need Me. Desire Me. Desire to seek Me with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. You don't need a feeling. You just need Me. I will give you My peace. You don't need routine. You just need Me. I will lead you, and I will guide you."  Lord Jesus, thank you that you have not made it a hard thing to come before you, to get alone with you. Lord, please help us to kick aside all these preconceived ideas that say we need so much more. Please Lord, help us to desire just you, and to cast down the need for sound around us, and to cast down any inner thoughts and feelings, and our plans. Help us to just drop all these things, and just desire to sit with you. To desire only you. Thank you, Jesus that you are our peace, and that in that peace you will lead us and guide us. You will speak to us and let us know whether to open your Word to begin receiving from you there, or to just sit and wait on you. What you can do with us in our time alone with you, Lord, is limitless. Thank you, Jesus. We just need you. Thank you that you just want us, alone. Thank you, Lord. Amen.      Dying To Self  Winnie Osegueda 1/21/24  I read this and enjoyed it, and wanted to share it with you all. Thank You Lord for Your grace and for completing the work You started in us:  “When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is still happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, your best intentions misinterpreted, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but rather take it all in patiently, loving silence, knowing that Christ alone is your defender, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When you patiently bear annoyance, disorder, inconvenience, irregularity, and even impunctuality from others; when you feel your time has been wasted and you've been treated harshly and unfairly and yet you still respond in love, maintaining your peace, and enduring these things with meekness as Jesus endured, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When you are unruffled with less than desirable accommodations, uncomplaining with meager food, difficult climates, re-arranged travel schedules, when you maintain cheerfulness even though others are grumpy, when you are loving, kind, and attentive even to those who can do you no benefit by their association, when you remain calm despite interruptions to your agenda and plans by the will of God, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When you don't care to refer to yourself in conversation, when you don't feel the need to boast of your accomplishments and record every good deed you do for the world to see, when you don't itch after commendation and applause, when you don't mind when others are acknowledged and your name is ignored, when you're more concerned with being faithful to God's call, when you are okay to be unknown, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When you see your brother prospering, when you see him succeeding with a project that you contributed to, and yet you can honestly rejoice with him in spirit, being happy to remain behind the scenes, not questioning God, but being grateful that the work is being accomplished so that God is glorified, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.  When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.”  "That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Php 3:10  “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Gal 2:20      Idols In The Heart  Anonymous 12/10/22   I sought the Lord regarding idols in our heart and heard:   “Be aware of idols of ‘insecurity' and ‘selfishness'. You need to reshape and rethink on how you perceive life in Christ.”  (We are accounted righteous when we believe we don't live anymore, Christ lives in us. Rom 6:11  Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.)  Col 3:3-4 For ye died, and your life is hid with the Christ in God. 4 When the Christ, our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.   Eph 4:22-24 that ye put away, as concerning your former behavior, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.   “Insecurity is where you want or require something, that when put to the test of eternity with Me, would be thrown out into the fire. I supply all your needs and desires of your heart. Continue to replace and put Me always first and keep a watch to the things that could be contrary to My Word.”   1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.   Php 4:6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.   Php 4:19 And my God shall supply your every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Psa 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. 5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah; Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.    “Selfishness is where there is pride and misunderstanding, especially when what has been taught and learned through the world's ways, comes between us.”  Mar 7:13  making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: Php 2:4-5 not looking each severally to his own things, but each severally also to those of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus   “The renewal of your mind is the best place to begin, to be cleansed and sanctified. After these things are put into check and aligned back according to My Son and My Word, you can receive and manifest 100 fold!”   Rom 12:2 And be not fashioned according to this age: but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that ye may prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.   “Like when a bath is filled with water. You get in, and the water rises. When you get out, you can fill up all the way. It is the objects of no value within, that are to be removed to enable more room to be filled with Me.   Aim and focus on the hardest and most hidden of evil. This is self. Learn to hate the concept and mindset of being an individual. Instead, you need to incorporate My Son as He is the perfect replacement.  To get past all of self and anything that is carnal and fleshly, you need to find and root them out. Keep an eye and ear on the self (watch out for outward evil manifestations) and bring it to the Light for full exposure.”   Eph 5:8 for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light.  Eph 5:11-13 and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them; 12 for the things done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all things when reproved are manifested by the light: for everything manifested is light.   “Speak it out, and pray it out, and know that it is a process for it all to go. Believe that you are at the end from your current state, and are already perfected in Christ. It is just the flesh and soul with understanding that needs to catch up.”   Col 1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:     Humility Brings Grace David Eells If there's anything you need from God, humble yourself, and confess your sins. As the Bible says, (Psa.66:18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. Many people are diligently attempting to exercise their faith, and yet they find no grace from God to hold on to their faith. Faith is a gift from God. If He doesn't give it to you, you won't have it. And you can try your best to stand in faith and you will fail, because the Word says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not, will not hear.” He will not hear. Well, what choice do we have then? God is telling us that He's not going to hear unless we repent. (Pro.28:13) He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. We just read unless we humble ourselves concerning any sin, we're not going to receive grace. And here we see that, unless we confess our sins, we're not going to prosper or have His mercy, therefore other things besides lack of faith can block us from receiving the blessings of God. God is very forgiving to us because, many times, we don't know that we're doing wrong and so God overlooks them. He puts them under the Blood because of our ignorance. (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. But if God is showing you something required of Him in your life, then you're responsible to make corrections because it may block you from receiving what you need from the Lord. In this case, we can see that we have to confess our sins in order to receive our healing. Some may say, “That's salvation by works, David.” Well, you can take it for whatever you believe it is, but the Bible says, “confess your sins one to another...that ye may be healed,” and that's what we have to believe and act on. (Pro.16:18) Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty (This is gobah meaning “lofty; high; height; pride.”) spirit before a fall. (The Hebrew kishshalon there is also translated as “stumbling; ruin.”) That doesn't sound like somebody is receiving what they want from the Lord! Destruction is not what we pray and believe for; it's not according to the good promises. And possibly you've heard people say, “You Christians, you accept all the good promises but you don't like any of the bad promises.” Well, this is one of them, right here: “Pride goeth before destruction.” So it behooves us to find out what pride actually is and how many ways it can be manifested in our life. That's another reason why we need to read the Scriptures, because there can be things in our life that block us from receiving grace that imparts faith from God to bring us salvation. Certainly we don't pray to fall into destruction and ruin or these kinds of things; we pray for God's blessings. But Jesus said in (Mat.12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. If you're prideful, which is the opposite of humility, you're going to be destroyed. And if you're haughty, which is being self-promoting, you're at the very least going to stumble, and possibly be ruined. All that is chastening upon the wicked, unregenerate old man, who is prideful and has to be crucified. He's the one you're supposed to be leaving on the cross. (Pro.16:19) Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. Recently, I was giving some advice to a person who was forsaking running after the Lord with all their heart in order to get a “higher” education. I asked them, “Are you sure that's what the Lord really wants for you? You know, we're coming very, very close to the end times now. What is more important? Is it to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, which is what we're commanded to do? Or is it to get a ‘higher' education so you can earn a higher income?”  I tell you, the most important thing is to humble yourself to the Word of God, now and forever. That “higher” education doesn't matter in the least. Personally, I'd rather be stupid and humble, and get what God gives me in His Word. Obviously, some of you may be contrary to my thinking there, but I would rather be of lowly spirit with the poor, and not worry about the “higher” education. I don't know how many people come out of their so-called “higher” education anti-Christ in their thinking. They've lost God in the midst of it because a little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). Also we have in (Pro.15:33) The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; And before honor goeth humility. There is it again, before honor must be humility. Do you want to be honored of the Lord or of man? Humility has to come first before we can have the blessings of God, those great promises that we believe for. And, (Pro.22:4) The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Is riches, and honor, and life. How many people have lost their lives, spiritual or physical or both, because they didn't humble themselves to God's Word? (Mat.6:33) But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. We need to seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness. His Word needs to be put in our heart every day. The most important thing that we do, over and above and including going to “church,” is humbling ourselves to the Word of God. It is the Life of God. So many are caught-up in, and puffed-up by, false doctrines of false religion. They're in idolatrous worship of false leaders and are being led astray from the faith. Humility and the fear of the Lord go hand-in-hand. If you are humble, you fear the Lord. If you fear the Lord, you are humble, and this goes before “riches, and honor, and life.” If you want to manifest not just more of physical life, but more of the Life of Jesus, one of the ways to receive that is through humility. Many people pass away because they don't humble themselves to the Word. They haven't read the Word enough, and don't believe the Word enough, to find out that God already provided deliverance from the curses that have fallen upon mankind. Glory to God! It's a wonderful thing to walk in that faith and to see that God keeps His Word! What do we have to be proud of? What do we have that we can claim is on account of our righteousness, our power, our wisdom? What do we have? As we're told, (1Co.1:26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]… In other words, the people who are great in this world are not the kind of people the Lord calls. And He says, “not many,” meaning He does call some of them. He likes to give a demonstration of His power because He's able to save even these people by humbling them. Even Paul was humbled. But generally He does not choose the wise, the mighty, the noble. (1Co.1: 27) but God chose the foolish [things] of the world… That word “things” was added-in all through this text, but is not found in the original Greek manuscripts and so it should be italicized in your Bible. There's no numeric pattern in the word “things” here. This text properly reads, (1Co.1:26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: (27) but God chose the foolish of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak of the world, that he might put to shame them that are strong; (28) and the base of the world, and the despised, did God choose, [yea] and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: (So God chooses people who are foolish, weak, base, and despised by the world. Why?) (29) that no flesh should glory before God. “Glory” there is the Greek kauxáomai meaning, “I boast; I exult proudly.” It's important to God “that no flesh should glory” before Him. The people that God chooses are not the wise or the great or the gifted or the necessarily handsome. And, although many times the people who are promoted to the top of Christianity are just like that, they're not found to be faithful nor really gifted in the Spirit of God. It seems like a person has to be weak in the ways of the world before they will really have trust in God and lean upon Him. I'm one of those people. For instance, I never considered myself a speaker, never liked to get up in front of people, and don't relish it to today, but I do it. And I'm able to do it by the Grace of God, not that my speech is all that great today. But, you know, Paul's on my side because he said that he wasn't a great speaker either. Moses too. At any rate, when we're made capable of doing something only by God, we have to trust in Him because we know we have no strength within ourselves to do it. You may ask, “Why does God pick people that are weak?” Well, He says, so “that no flesh should glory before God.” And also in 2Co 12:9 ASV  And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. (Get this important principle:) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. A person who seeks importance because of self confidence is not qualified. Where is Superman now? What has happened to the superstars? Where are all the factious leaders who thought they should have a position of authority that God did not give them. Carpenters know that the head that sticks up gets hammered. And here is why. Mat 23:12 ASV  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. He doesn't want any pride in us. He doesn't want us taking any credit for what He chooses to do through us. He wants us to give all glory to Him. (Isa.42:8) I am the Lord, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. God will not share His glory with another, and when you try to rob the glory of God because of your own personal gifts, then God has to humble you because you're lifting yourself up. “Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Jesus Could Do Nothing of Himself It's hard to even imagine it, yet Jesus said in (Joh.5:19) … The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. Now, obviously, if Jesus could do nothing of Himself, we can do nothing of ourselves. Nothing of any importance in the Kingdom can we do of ourselves because self has no power to do the work of God. Self cannot walk in the Spirit. Self does not have the renewed mind of Christ with the renewed sight and hearing (Ephesians 4:23), having been washed with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). Self has no power to walk in the Spirit or to do the works of God.     Question Yourself  Anonymous12/3/22   I was in prayer and I asked the Lord what He wants to tell me:  “A question to self: Am I doing what I know to do?” NENT Jas 1:23 For if any is hearer of the word and not doer, HE is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror:  “Am I on the right side living by faith in the Word?” (I.e. Righteous by faith, abiding in Christ) NENT Rom 1:17 For herein is being revealed God's righteousness from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous man shall live by faith.  1Jn 2:5-6 but whoso keepeth his word, in him hath truly the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: 6 who saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as HE walked.   “Be on the perfect team, and you will never fail or lose. Believe you are not anymore, but Christ lives in you.” NENT Rom 6:11 Thus ye also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.   “This is an excellent choice, as the self-part of you is really the loser, and there is nothing you can do that is better than I”. Job 38:33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?   Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.   “Admit it before men”. NENT Mat 10:32 Every one therefore who shall confess in me before men, in him will I also confess before my Father who is in the heavens.  1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   “Humble yourself and come to me”. (Being humble allows the Lord to utilize us as vessels of honor.) Num 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth. NENT 1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you in season;   “The more frequent you let go of self, and imitate My Word as Christ, then infinitely more My Love will manifest through you”. (I.e. We will progress from star to moon to sun glory manifesting Christ with 100-fold fruit.) NENT 1Co 15:41 One glory of sun, and another glory of moon, and another glory of stars; for star differeth from star in glory.   “I washed you in the Water of My Word to clean out all the lies. You can then have a clear mind which can do My Works”. Joh 15:3 Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. NENT Rom 12:2 And be not fashioned according to this age: but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that ye may prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.   2Ti 1:7 For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and sobering.   “There is real life through the release of the carnal and worldly ways of men”. NENT 2Co 6:14 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?   Mat 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.   “I know you, and you know and will do as I say. And I can see that where we are, here in eternity.” NENT Eph 2:5-6 even when we were dead through the trespasses made us alive together with the Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus.     Finding Balance in Faith David Eells  (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe... (18) they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.   Should we always eat what we want, drink what we want and breathe what we want because we are not under the curse, according to Galatians 3:13? Possibly the key words here are "what we want" not "what we need". God said He would supply our every need. Some think that because we are not under the curse that we shouldn't tell people that certain things are poison. Where is the balance here?   No one should tempt God by taking poison on purpose when there is a choice. That is like the snake handlers who often die tempting God to prove who they are. Permit me to paraphrase the devil when he tempted Jesus: "Throw yourself off this temple, Jesus, because God said the angels would catch you". His answer was, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God". Like the angels' promise of safety, God also said you are not under the curse. Does that mean you should put poison in your mouth on purpose when you have a choice not to? That would be tempting God in the exact same way.   Notice the devil tempted Jesus to use His promise of protection and His deliverance from the curse to jump off the temple. He tempts you to use your promise of protection to eat known poison for no purpose or eat after your own lusts. There is no difference, unless that is all you have to eat, like the man who said to Elisha, "There is death in the pot," because in their foraging for food, poisonous gourds had been thrown in the pot. Since that is what they had to eat, he blessed it and they ate it.   I have drunk Pensacola water, driven my motorcycle through the chemtrails when I could smell them, ate whatever food was put before me because I needed to and was blessed. I knew an otherwise strong Christian who believed with all his heart that he could eat anything he wanted because he was not under the curse. I agreed with the principle but not the way he was using it to justify his eating habits. He was using the doctrine to eat in an unhealthy manner and was overweight and under-exercised. To make a long story short, he died with his arteries clogged and dying because of lack of circulation.   The Lord said we ask and don't receive because we want to consume it upon our lusts. The demons jumped on the seven sons of Sceva, who thought they had protection, but their own lives were not right with God and so they were under the curse.   The promise that, if you drink any deadly thing it will not harm you, is for those who have to drink the water and eat the food available to them, like when Moses blessed the bitter waters in the barren wilderness. When we are given poison secretly to kill us, as the powers that be are doing now, we are protected. When we know about it and have a choice between poison or pure, we should choose the pure. Of course, if you have something to prove, like the devil was tempting Jesus with saying, "If you are the Son of God," and then he went on to test him with prove who you are. Jesus had no such lust and He proved it. There was another way down from that temple roof. Some today would say to someone like him, "You don't have any faith". Who is the teacher here?   The man who said there was death in the pot was not wrong. Now they had a choice to make: believe God if you need to eat or opt out if you don't believe. Many Christians don't believe God will protect them from poison. Should we just let them die because they do not believe God's promise? Is it alright to say to them, there is death in the pot? They would die and never have a chance to grow up and learn that they are not under the curse. Of course God could give them a demonstration, like He did, of His power over the curse.  The Lord said in Hosea 4:6 that His people would die for lack of understanding. Let us have mercy on them and tell them that fluoride, chemtrails, chemotherapy, many drugs they take, etc., are poison but should they be forced to take them or deceived into taking them, they should believe they are not under the curse. Now we know serpents are also demons but Paul didn't take up that serpent on purpose. It bit him. But when it happened, he shook it off by faith and was none the worse.   I knew a couple who believed they were not under the curse but they were under a law of their own making, instead of grace through faith; they were under pride, Jezebel and a false Jesus. God didn't care what their doctrine was; He refused to answer and protect them.   In short, walk in holiness and under the protection of God but don't try to prove who you are in pride, don't put yourself under a law and don't be competitive with others, for God will humble you.   We are not looking to make or find the line in this balance for others; just share Biblical principles to help them find balance. Let everyone find their own line in their conscience and according to the measure of their faith. We don't want to be caught making laws for others here. 

The second coming of Christ has been the subject of a lot of speculation by many people. Even Paul himself thought that the second coming might be soon. The meat of this passage, though, is comfort. In the grand scheme, Christ is King. The savior we serve is more than just a nice guy, he is our strength.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 8th of January, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start with 1 Peter 1:24-25:"All flesh is as grass,And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.The grass withers,And its flower falls away,But the word of the Lord endures forever."We do not trust in man's empty promises but only in the infallible Word of God, the Bible. Come on now, folks, let's be honest with ourselves - We can't even trust ourselves, can we? You know, if we look at the great apostle Paul, and he was a wonderful man of God, but look what he says himself in Romans 7:19:"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."Then we go down towards verse 24, he says:"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"Even Paul, the apostle who made Jesus face-to-face on the road to Damascus, did things he didn't want to do and didn't do things he should have. My dear friend, let us put our trust only in the Word of God; then we will be trustworthy. As we face 2024, we've got to do it with the Bible. We've got to do it by trusting in the Lord. Remember that old song: Because He lives, I can face tomorrowBecause he lives, all fear is goneBecause I know, yes I know, He holds the futureAnd life is worth the living, just because he lives.So we can face the future because we know the Lord is going with us. Have a wonderful day; Jesus bless you and goodbye.

#146// 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."How are you doing with the will of God in Christ Jesus for you when it comes to rejoicing and giving thanks? Isn't it crazy how we can clearly know what the will of God is for our life -- it's right there in the scripture! -- and still struggle with choosing to do it? Even Paul grieved over this in Romans 6 and 7, right? So why is it that we can know what we need to do, but have such a hard time choosing it? Do you struggle to choose joy and gratitude in the midst of your own hard circumstances? On this episode of The Positioned to Prosper Podcast, I'm sharing the message I preached at our last REVIVE Woman Girls Night Out event. During my share I unpacked Biblical guidance for how to choose joy and gratitude right in the midst of the hardest things life can throw at us. Are you ready to choose joy and gratitude right where you are? Grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!JOIN THE JESUS GIRL GANG! Looking for a community of women to go deeper into the things of God with? Desiring a deep dive into God's Word with a company of women who are learning to apply Truth without compromise? Wanting a discipleship experience that sharpens and equips you to be able to make a bold and confident sound into the earth for Jesus and His Kingdom? Jump in the Gang right here, Sis! Sign up before Sunday, November 26th and you'll receive a free membership trial through the end of the month. Let's dig in together!

Do you need more small group leaders? How would you like to see an exponential increase of volunteers stepping up to serve in your church? Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor at Saddleback Church, pulls from his 25 years of small group ministry experience to encourage and equip listeners to lead healthier, growing and more effective small group ministries. In this episode, Steve is joined by co-host Derek and special guest pastor William Johnston of Saddleback church  who shares his top tried and true keys to creating a healthy ministry and staff culture. You are not going to want to miss this episode!Will's Notes Introduction Our secular work culture has largely influenced our workplace interactions Secular work culture shapes us in certain values Escapism: Working for the weekend. My real life starts when I leave work. Individualistic Results: My personal results are the upmost sign of success. Passive responsibility: I am just going to take care of what I need to do. We hand over ownership and leadership completely to a senior leader because we do not want deal with something or we are just lazy. The buck never stops with us      C.  Quickly provide alternatives God wants our whole life to reflect him and flow together. While we can turn off our ministry as work minds. We live on mission for Jesus in all facets of life. We often do not know how to measure success well in church because it is challenging to quantify but our goal is for the Church, the Body of Christ to flourish, for people to meet Jesus, grow to spiritual maturity, serve other and live on mission for him. If it becomes my niche ministry or idea taking off, then we've missed it. Lastly, in the body of Christ we all have responsibility to each other and to live as God has created us. We have interactive mechanisms in our body that course correct when we are sick or even when we trip on shoe. It is the same in the body of Christ     II.  One of the symptom of these values is challenging or decaying staff cultures  A large part of our jobs are people and the largest portion of time is spent with our staff. We are all different people with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses, hobbies, and work ideals. There is nothing new about people not getting along. Even Paul and Barnabus reached a point where they were like “Ya, I think I'm good”       B. We all want to enjoy our place of work.  We all want to enjoy the people we work with but it is hard.  III.    Who is to blame? If you are waiting for someone to make your workplace enjoyable, you are 50% of the problem. If you are sitting back, waiting, and complaining about what other people are not doing for you without doing anything about it, you are part of the problem. “We want our lead pastor to set the tone” “We want the denomination to do this” “If the board of directors said this” We think of certain people in authority as the one with the sole responsibility for our staff dynamics instead of thinking about our staff as something we have an equal part in. If your staff culture is poor, you are a piece of that pie. IV.  How do we course correct when we are not in the head chair? We need to reflect on: What do we want in a workplace? and What are steps I can do to help us get there?  What things would you enjoy in your workplace and begin doing them?       B. There are some simple questions that I believe lead to crawl steps in building a staff that turns into a family. If we as ourselves this set of questions weekly, our staff culture will begin improving immediately. How can I make this time more fun, memorable, intentional? How much time am I spending with each staff member? When was the last time I ate a meal with each staff member in a setting of 4 or less people? When was the last time I asked them about their family? How much time am I in communal spaces or around other staff? When was the last time I followed up on something we talked about recently? What does each staff member want from our relationship?  When was the last time I encouraged each staff member?        C. Walk Step Ideas Have an onboarding strategy for new staff. Taking them out to eat or bringing lunch in Every week checking in on questions they have Inviting them and their spouse over for food or a game night Know everyone's favorite drink Know their bdays and their family members Bdays Individualized BDay gifts Show up to something that matters to them       D. Run Steps Relationship study about the correlation of long lasting relationship and unique joint experiences Grand openings Community Events V. Building Trust with a Supervisor The Basics I typically hear people who want trust or an in with their senior leader to share challenges We don't think they are doing something correctly They are not taking our ideas       2.   We do not begin with the right intentions. We connect because we want something This is never a ploy! If someone takes any of the next steps for their own gain instead of enjoying the people God has placed in your life. It will not be successful. These things done without a heart that sincerely wants to know the other person will probably leave you in the same situation.This is the difference between leading up and sucking up Trust with a senior leader begins with a basic friendship I.  Well that is easy. And the answer to that thought is yes it is easyIt is interesting that most people in our churches desire time and closeness to the senior or lead pastor but when we get on a church staff and are a couple chairs down the table we stop taking initiative and believe everything should be initiated by that senior leader.So we sit back and wait for our senior leader to initiate and then become frustrated when our relationship does not look the way we want it. B. Making Changes In the conversation about building good staff relationship I gave clear next steps I believe a healthy and sustainable relationship with your senior leader is more about posture. Questions that lead us to the right posture When was the last time you prayed for your campus pastor? When was the last time you asked about their kids? When was the last time you asked them out for dinner? When was the last time you asked if there is something you could take off their plate? When was the last time you just talked with no agenda? When was the last time you texted them about something happening in their life? C. Hard Conversations1. People are probably thinking “ok, now can I have a hard conversation with my supervisor?”2.        We always need to ask ourselves a set of questions before a conversation with a superior where we want to express concern, frustration, or challenges.       a. When was the last time you encouraged them?       b. Are my emotions pure or am I mad because… i. They shot down my idea. ii. Spend more time with another staff member Iii. something is going on at home and I do not have a healthy outlet for it.      c. Am I ok being wrong?3.  Fear If you care about your church, you have to be willing to be honest I understand that their are unhealthy leaders out there who do not welcome feedback or tough conversations but I have seen bitterness build up in people and lead to burnout because they did not have one tough conversation that ended up building and building with their senior leader never knowing there was an issue to start with. I try to believe the best in people and sincerely hope that if someone is in ministry and in a lead role that they will appreciate your care for the church and when you have a strong relationship built with that leader they will know the intent and trust the words you share.        4. ResponsibilityIn many our circles as small group people we are close to the top of leadership. It is our duty to protect our lead pastor. We always have to have their backs. And sometimes that means having hard conversations       5. ClosingLeading up is not getting your way or making your rise to the top. It is about caring for your church and caring for your leader. If you commit yourself to loving those two things, your church will be a better place. ★ Support this podcast ★

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-2 I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.End of Genesis DiscussionLast week I attempted to wrap up our brief discussion of Genesis. Because I ran out of time, I would like to use the first few minutes of our current session to tie up loose ends. I think it is important that as we study Acts, we have a general understanding of the Christian worldview—the key reason behind my Genesis detour.I attempted to take a “minimum facts” approach to the first three chapters of Genesis. By that I mean that I focused on the core or basic lessons taught by the text. These are by no means all the lessons we could learn from it but, instead, those central tenets with which nearly every Christian would agree. Here's a brief summary of the points we discussed:(1) One God. The text of Genesis contains no theogony (i.e., genealogy of gods), theomachy (i.e., conflict between gods), or deicide (i.e., death of a god). None of that. Genesis has God—the one and only. This monotheism was radically different than any other belief in the region. (A question was asked last time regarding whether Genesis was the first religious story to introduce monotheism. I still cannot confirm an answer, but I can say that all the major monotheistic religions trace back to the Genesis account.)(2) God Is Not Like Nature. Whereas in other ancient Near Eastern myths, the line between nature and gods is blurred, that line is an unbreachable chasm in Genesis. Other stories have the gods turning into nature, such as the earth being made out of Tiamat's corpse, or being one with a natural phenomenon, like the night being a god of the night. In Genesis, God simply speaks creation into being. Nature is not divine in any sense. And God is not “natural” in any sense. If we are willing to go beyond the Genesis story and take into account the whole counsel of scripture along with a bit of theology, I think we can confidently say that God is an uncreated, necessary being, in whose unchanging character goodness itself is rooted.(3) Nature Is Not Spiritual. Is there a spirit of the water, and a spirit of the wind, and spirit of the day, and a spirit of the night? According to many, if not all, ancients myths: yes. According to Genesis: no. This is the very foundation of science. The natural world is not personal, so it behaves according to impersonal principles that can be relied upon to act consistently. Moreover, this natural world has been made by a mind not completely unlike ours, so we can expect the natural world to be intelligible. This is another foundational principle of science. In our modern world, we are so used to assuming these concepts, we forget how original and revolutionary they truly are.(4) Man in the Image of God. Other ancient Near Eastern myths tell us that man was created to do the drudging work of which the gods had grown weary. Genesis tells an entirely different story. Man was created in the image of God, to be fruitful and multiply, and rule the earth. Regarding the image of God, often called the imago Dei, I went into a little bit of philosophy to explain what that could possibly mean. I suggested that the mainstream Christian view is that of ontological personalism—although many people get it wrong and think that it is empirical functionalism. This latter view says that personhood is being able to perform certain functions—such as rational thinking. Well, that means fetuses, people in a state of coma, and even people who are asleep are not persons! Ontological personalism says that we are a rational soul. So, the imago Dei is part of our substance, so we can't lose it.There is a fifth point I wanted to make but that I did not have time to discuss, and it is a crucial point to the Christian story.THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS GOOD BUT THEN…THE FALLAuthor Sandra Richter in The Epic of Eden describes God's original intent by pointing out that the creation narrative is not complete in six days—there is a seventh day. On that day God rested. On the seventh day creation is as it should be, so God could stop to rule over all of it. God and creation were in peace. With that in mind, Richter concludes:In sum, Genesis 1 tells us of God's first, perfect plan—a flawlessly ordered world infused with balance and productivity. Here every rock, plant and animal had its own designated place within God's design, a God-ordained space in which each could thrive, reproduce and serve the good of the whole. And we see from the structure of Genesis 1 that the force that held this peaceful and productive cohabitation in balance was Yahweh's sovereignty over all. But as Day 6b makes clear, God chose to manage this creation through his representative ʾAdām. Thus humanity is given all authority to protect, maintain and develop God's great gift under God's ultimate authority. This is who Yahweh is, who humanity is and how both relate to the creation. And regardless of how you choose to harmonize science and Bible, this message is clearly part of the intent of Genesis 1. I would say it is the primary intent.Then Richter makes the connection between Genesis 1 and the repeating theme of the book of Genesis: covenant.You may have noticed that my description of Genesis 1 sounds a lot like the relationship between a vassal and his suzerain; a relationship in which the vassal is given full autonomy within the confines of his overlord's authority. When this reading of Genesis 1 is wedded to Genesis 2, the profile of covenant becomes even clearer. Here the suzerain (Yahweh) offers his vassals (Adam and Eve) the land grant of Eden with the stipulation that humanity care for it and protect it.Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate [ ʿābad] and keep it [šāmar]. (Gen 2:15)In addition to this perfect place, Adam and Eve are given each other (Gen 2:18-25), and as is implied by Genesis 3:8, they are given full access to their loving Creator. The only corner of the garden which was not theirs to use and enjoy was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. (Gen 2:16-17)In essence, Adam and Eve are free to do anything except decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. Yahweh reserves the right (and the responsibility) to name those truths himself. (Emphasis added)This was Adam and Eve's perfect world. Not just fruit and fig leaves, but an entire race of people stretching their cognitive and creative powers to the limit to build a society of balance and justice and joy. Here the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve would learn life at the feet of the Father, build their city in the shadow of the Almighty, create and design and expand within the protective confines of his kingdom. The blessing of this gift? A civilization without greed, malice or envy; progress without pollution, expansion without extinction. Can you imagine it? . . . This was God's perfect plan: the people of God in the place of God dwelling in the presence of God. Yet, as with all covenants, God's perfect plan was dependent on the choice of the vassal. Humanity must willingly submit to the plan of God. The steward must choose this world; for in God's perfect plan, the steward had been given the authority to reject it.But then the fall came. And, surprisingly, then redemption came too.God's perfect plan (and humanity's perfect world) was a matter of choice. Did ʾAdām want this world? Or one of their own making? The ones made in the image of God could not be forced or coerced, but instead were called upon to choose their sovereign. And choose they did. Whenever I think of this moment, the lyrics of Don Francisco's old folk song echo in my mind: “And all their unborn children die as both of them bow down to Satan's hand.”16 God's original intent was sabotaged by humanity, stolen by the Enemy. ʾAdām rejected the covenant, and all the cosmos trembled. Genesis 2:17 makes it painfully clear what the consequences of such an insurrection would be: in that day, “you shall surely die.” But amazingly, mercifully, even though Yahweh had every right to wipe out our rebellious race, he chose another course—redemption. In a move that continues to confound me, God spared the lives of Adam and Eve (and their unborn children) by redirecting the fury of the curse toward another—the battered flesh of his own Son. This is the one the New Testament knows as “the last Adam” (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 15:22, 45). And although the first Adam did not die, the second surely did. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.Introduction to ActsWe are finally done with our brief exploration of Genesis, and we are ready to start discussing Acts. We should introduce the book first and consider its genre, date, author, and historical context. Next week we will finally fall into our trusted pattern of reading scripture and discussing its main points. Believe me, I am as ready as you are to start doing that.GenreAs we begin the study of Acts, just like with Genesis, we need to ask the question of genre. Except in this case, there is hardly a question. Virtually everyone agrees that Acts is narrating history. The only (rather nuanced) debate is whether Acts is historiography or biography. (I am using the term historiography to refer to a genre of literature. Using the term “history” can be confusing because one is not certain whether the claim is that the text intends to convey historical facts or whether those historical facts are true.)Historiography vs BiographyWhat's the difference between historiography and biography? Roughly speaking, biography focuses on one person, his life, his accomplishments, and his character. Historiography focuses on something other than a person (although it may discuss notable individuals at length), such as an event, a nation, or a movement. Is Acts about the life of Paul? Or, is Acts about the early church?I bet your question is a different one: why does it matter? The truth is it does not matter much, but it could change our interpretation of certain passages. When we ask question like, “Why would the author include this material?” or “Why would he omit that information?”, our choice of genre matters.Anyways, I will keep the discussion of this topic brief.Biography ProposalBiography is the most common genre proposal after historiography. This proposal retains for Acts the same genre usually assigned to the Gospel of Luke. To many scholars, extending the Gospel's genre to the second volume seems a logical step. Acts, as a continuation of Luke's Gospel, provides parallels of Peter and Paul with Jesus, as one might expect in the ancient genre of parallel lives or in ancient double biographies. Moreover, Acts falls in the correct length range for ancient biographies.Despite many biographic elements, however, Acts self-evidently does not constitute a biography of a single figure. In fact, it seems less interested in sketching vivid portraits of past heroes than in tracing the spectacular development of “the way.” Certainly Acts focuses on major characters, but Acts does not focus on a single character. Even Paul, its dominant and climactic example, functions as an agent of the work's driving theme, the gospel's expansion. Acts closes not with his death but with his proclamation in Rome. Despite its biographic emphases, Acts thus functions as historiography carried out partly in a biographic manner.Historiography ProposalThe genre proposal most supported by scholars is that of historiography—to be more precise, that of a historical monograph (i.e., a one-volume historiographical text). As a historical monograph, it is a work covering a specific historical topic. In contrast to listing events by year in annalistic fashion (a common type of text in the ancient world), some ancient historians would write monographs that arranged their accounts around a main theme. Various factors support the thesis that Luke conceives of his project as primarily a history of some sort. Unlike in a novel, Luke uses sources abundantly in his first volume (i.e., the Gospel of Luke) and presumably in his second volume as well, although we cannot distinguish them clearly in Acts. Luke's claim to investigate or have close acquaintance with his information (Luke 1: 3) fits historical works, and his occasional use of the first-person plural emphasizes the involvement considered ideal for a good Hellenistic historian. Speeches, the preface, the employment of world history as a context, and other features support this understanding of the work's genre. Luke's extensive use of public monologues in Acts plainly fits the conventions of ancient histories but not of biographies or novels. Luke-Acts also includes what appear very much like the prefaces found in histories. When possible, Luke sets his events in the context of world history, just as historians (and almost exclusively historians) did in their histories (Luke 2: 1– 2; 3: 1– 2; Acts 18: 12).Although it should go without saying, we must be careful to distinguish ancient historiography from modern historiography. We should not demand ancient historians to conform precisely to modern historiography. Ancient historians sometimes fleshed out scenes and speeches to produce a coherent narrative in a way that their contemporaries expected but that modern academic historians would not consider acceptable when writing for their own peers. This contrast reflects the different interests of ancient and modern historiography: ancients emphasized a cohesive narrative more than simple recitation of facts; moderns value exactness in details much more than the rhetorical flow of the narrative for their audience.DateViews on the date of Acts range widely. No particular proposed date between 64 A.D. and 90 A.D. is absolutely compelling. The centrist position (70s– 80s), has by far the most adherents; probably the early date (60s) is second in number of adherents; a date in the 90s ranks third; and the second century boasts the fewest adherents. I will only discuss the two most widely held views.Pre-70Usually, scholars arguing for a pre-70 date contend that Acts ends where it does because the events had unfolded only this far at the time of Luke's writing, that is, about 62 A.D. I will discuss the reasons for this view and their potential responses by scholars who hold to the “centrist view.”Both ancient and modern interpreters have asked and argued: Why else would Luke devote a quarter of Acts to Paul's trial and appeal yet not record the outcome? Scholars respond that these abrupt endings were not entirely uncommon. Examples would include the Gospel of Mark and Thucydides text on the Peloponnesian War. Granted, they might add, if Luke recorded Paul's Roman hearings in Jerusalem and Caesarea for use at a trial before Caesar, this material was clearly compiled before Paul's death. One can, however, still affirm a later publication of the material. Moreover, Luke could have suppressed explicit mention of Paul's death because it did not suit his larger narrative purpose (e.g., martyrdom). Luke is under no obligation to narrate Paul's execution, the centrist would claim, because his climax is the gospel reaching the heart of the empire. Finally, the number of Greek words in Acts is nearly the same as for the Gospel of Luke, which may have been the fullest length for Luke's normal scrolls. In other words, Luke may have run out of room when writing Acts.Scholars supporting a pre-70 date have also advanced other arguments favoring this position, drawn especially from the setting the book seems to address. One argument is based on Luke's failure to describe the temple's destruction as past. Other arguments to date Acts before 70 AD include:- Acts portrays Jews as being both a spiritual and political power who had influence with Roman courts, an unlikely situation after 70.- Expectation of Roman justice would be unlikely after the Neronian persecution of 64–65.- Acts betrays almost no knowledge of Paul's letters.Post-70The argument for a date after Paul's death follows from the usual premise that Mark wrote before Luke. Papias reports that Mark wrote what he had heard from Peter; if this language suggests that their relation is past, it probably points to a date after Peter's death. If Luke wrote after using Mark, he presumably would be writing after Peter's death as well and presumably after Mark's Gospel had begun circulating among churches in urban centers.Most scholars believe that Luke 21 (e.g., Luke 21: 20; cf. 23: 29– 31) reflects the accomplished fall of Jerusalem and argue that Luke wrote Acts after completing his Gospel. However, one could counter that most of the discrete elements in Luke 21 could date from before the war of 66–70; various Jewish figures predicted judgment on Jerusalem and its temple before its demise, and the language recycles Septuagintal descriptions of Jerusalem's earlier sufferings. Certainly, Jerusalem's judgment was in view before 70 A.D. (Luke 11: 50– 51; Matt 23: 35– 36).Most scholars today suggest dates between 70 and 85, with some as late as 90. This range of dates is before Josephus's publications. (Scholars who suggest a later date for Acts often also suggest that it is based or influenced by the works of Josephus.)Author of Luke-ActsToday almost all scholars acknowledge that Luke and Acts share the same author. Beyond this general agreement, a majority of scholars agree that Luke was a Gentile, writing for a largely Gentile (or, perhaps more accurately, mixed Gentile and Jewish) Diaspora audience. A much smaller number, though probably still the majority, argue that the author was at least a short-term companion of Paul. Of possible candidates in Pauline literature who fit this description, Luke the physician (Col 4:14) is the likeliest candidate historically and also the one supported (despite his relative obscurity) by subsequent Christian writers who claimed access to earlier sources no longer available to us. Let's explore that last claim a little further.Luke the PhysicianIf we treat Acts the way we treat analogous historical works from its era we should accept the work's eyewitness claims as authentic indications of the author's presence. Internal evidence points strongly to a Christian who accompanied Paul on a small number of his travels and should have become well acquainted with him especially on the journey to Jerusalem and Rome. Although the external evidence is less important, it strongly points to Luke “the physician” (Col 4: 14) as the author, a claim that tradition is not likely to have invented (given Luke's relative obscurity). The external and the internal evidence are compatible, making Luke the likeliest author.The primary reason for many scholars treating “we” in Acts differently than they would in most other ancient historical works is the argument that a genuine traveling companion of Paul cannot have so misunderstood him. (As we study Acts we can examine this assertion further. Is Acts really at odds with the letters of Paul?)What is some of the external evidence that supports Luke the physician as the author of Acts? Irenaeus (ca. 180 A.D.) attributes Acts to Luke. The same is true of Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and others. Moreover, a very early manuscript (175–225 A.D.) calls the gospel the “Gospel according to Luke.” Simply put, our earliest external evidence unanimously supports Luke's authorship. Given his relative obscurity, this is probably not coincidence.Finally, and admittedly of less importance, the language is consistent with that of a physician.Gentile or JewWhether we believe the author of Luke and Acts to be Luke, can we determine whether the author is Gentile or Jew? From his geographical competence and his interpretation of Judaism, it is certain that he was not a Palestinian Jew. He may have been a Diaspora Jew with interests in the Gentile mission, but given his relationship to Judaism and perspectives, many scholars prefer the idea that he was a Gentile. Scholars who, on other grounds, identify the author with the Luke mentioned in Col 4: 14 will likely also conclude that he was a Gentile. If Luke was a Gentile, he was nevertheless one with considerable experience of Judaism. Although he could have acquired much of this knowledge as a Christian, it is reasonable to suggest, as some scholars have, that he may have been a God-fearer with a long-standing knowledge of the Diaspora synagogue. His immersion in the Septuagint, however, is considerable; if he did not grow up with it, he must have acquired it long before and thoroughly, for he knows how to write Greek with a “biblical” or “Jewish accent,” so to speak.AudienceScholars often suggest that Luke's audience was wealthier and more highly educated, on average, than that of the other Gospels. Luke dedicates his work to a “most excellent” Theophilus (Luke 1: 3), a title suggesting that Theophilus was probably a person of prestige and rank in society. Although Theophilus is an explicit “narratee,” no ancient audience would assume that the dedicatee was necessarily socially representative of Luke's ideal audience. One might dedicate a work to a patron who would be of higher rank than the clients who heard the work read, for example, at one of the banquets sponsored by the patron. Nevertheless, by addressing Theophilus as at least a part of his audience, Luke appeals to a person with some status in the larger society. Luke further emphasizes many people of status following the Way (e.g., Luke 8:3; 23:50–51; Acts 13:12; 17:4; 28:7); likewise, he portrays Paul's status as relatively high, a point of interest to any ancient hearer but perhaps especially to another person of status. Although his Gospel contains the most sweeping condemnations of the accumulation of wealth (e.g., Luke 3:11; 12:13–21, 33; 14:33), his very emphasis on this issue might suggest an audience that can afford to be challenged in the area of generosity. Finally, an educated audience would best appreciate the elements of classical rhetoric alongside the appropriate stylistic variations for different settings.What we can possibly conclude from this is that Luke's target audience is relatively stable (and hence not hostile to the culture). Luke is positive toward the culture without needing to sound polemical about the need to separate from it.Luke's ideal audience appears to be urban, Greek, and perhaps in officially Romanized cities such as Corinth and Philippi and would be familiar with some measure of education and with public orations, Jewish religion, and some philosophic ideas.The question as to whether Luke's audience is largely Jewish or Gentile may be, in one sense, a forced dilemma. By this period the Greek churches included a sizable number of Gentiles; Philippi had never had a large Jewish population to begin with. At the same time, most of these churches grew from synagogues or at least Jewish prayer groups and would include a sizable number of Jewish people. Finally, we are ready to start reading Acts!

Do you ever feel yourself being torn between what you know is the right thing to do and what you really want to do?  If you answer, "no," either you're not telling the truth, or the battery of your conscience has gone dead.  The struggle is an old one.  Even Paul experienced the conflict.  He candidly told of the battle which waged in his heart.  He said, "When I want to do good, I don't; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway" (Romans 7:19, Living Bible).

You've probably heard it before that everyone has a gift. That's true — especially within the Church. Every true believer has a spiritual gift granted unto them by the Holy Spirit to further the cause of the Church and defeat the forces of the Enemy on the planet.In this episode, Lori from Remnant Rising joins us to describe the spiritual gifts we have and how they affect us in real, powerful ways. She also tells us how to discover our spiritual gifts and practice them so that they do not atrophy. Hiding our gifts is a victory for the Enemy!If you want to discover your spiritual gifts and think you have the true faith needed to edify the Church on earth, tune in to this episode.Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Discover the spiritual gifts granted to you by the Holy Spirit.Learn how your spiritual gifts empower you to defeat the Enemy and share the truth of God's Word.Understand what it means to have true faith in Jesus Christ and how to utilitlize the Spiritual gifts God has intended.Want to be part of what God is doing through the Revelations Podcast? You can contribute here!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast: Website | Instagram | Apple PodcastLori:  https://www.instagram.com/remnantrising5.0/Get Lori's New Book- Live Like a Champion-https://loribrazier.com/Bible Verses:Ephesians 4:11-12Ephesians 5:111 Cor 12:1-111 Cor 1:4-7Hebrews 11Joshua 10Deuteronomy 322 Timothy 1:6Ezekiel 4:7Romans 12:1-81 Peter 4:9-11Prophetic Warrior by Emma StarkThis Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[04:49] Lori's Childhood and Remnant RisingLori started Remnant in 2020 using a personal page that doubled as a business page. She thought of the title “Remnant Rising” in the evening while talking to God.She says that several of her online accounts were deleted. She believes it's because she thinks she's exposing truths people want to keep hidden.Lori refuses to consider what other people think due to the power of her conviction and faith.[16:10] Lori: “The bottom line is to further the Kingdom. It's to edify the Church and further the Kingdom.”[16:41] The Source of Spiritual GiftsWhen we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us and gives us a new perspective on everything.We also receive special abilities to use for the Kingdom.Every person is given a gift based on their faith.Lori believes that spiritual gifts empower us, and says that we are “weaponized” by Heaven.[25:49] Understanding Supernatural RevelationsLori describes “rhema words” — passages or words that you read that just jump out at you with their power.[27:07] Reagan: “It's sometimes in word of knowledge and information that the Lord wants us to pray about or think about.”According to Lori, God knows what you need and will send it to you.God will use anyone to send you His message.[30:04] Who Has Spiritual Gifts?Every believer has at least one spiritual gift. Believers with the gift of faith help encourage others to trust God.Prophecy is another spiritual gift that allows people to speak in the language of Heaven.Deliverance from demons is a gift from the Holy Spirit.Lori fully believes that faith gives us the divine strength to alter the natural outcomes of life in a supernatural way through prayer.Healings are miracles, but miracles are more than just healing. Examples include the parting of the Red Sea and Daniel being saved from lions.[42:05] Examples of Spiritual GiftsProphecy is just the ability to speak God's message and explain it. Lori doesn't want to say she's a prophet, but says she can prophesy as a teacher.Some people can also discern spirits and see spiritual influences in places, people, or decisions.Still others can speak in tongues — the Heavenly language.Listen to the full episode for more examples of spiritual gifts.[56:46] Desiring More of the SpiritBefore prophesying, we must hear the Lord's Word.[57:52] Lori: “We have to learn to listen, we have to learn to be quiet, because it's hard to just shut off your mind and not have some other agenda.”The more we practice our gifts, the closer we can get to understanding.It's possible to pray for spiritual gifts if it comes from a place of true faith.Even Paul instructs us to earnestly desire these gifts.[1:08:11] How to Discover Your Spiritual GiftsThere are online tests people can take to help discern their spiritual gifts.Several verses in the Bible list samples of spiritual gifts. Reading the Bible can help you discover yours.Lori believes that spiritual gifts exist today — despite what other sources of information might tell us.About LoriLori is an author of two books and loves to study scripture. Connect with Lori on InstagramEnjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will educate you on becoming aware and discerning the hidden truths in today's world.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts. 

Acts 15:36-41

Thursday, 7 September 2023   But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days. Acts 20:6   In the previous verses, it noted that some of those traveling with Paul went ahead of him to Troas. However, Luke accompanied Paul by ship. That can be discerned from the next words, “But we.”   Luke includes himself in the narrative. He and Paul “sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread.”   The word “Bread” should be italicized. The Greek simply gives the adjective azumos, not leavened. The timing shows that the span spent in Corinth was the winter months. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is in the spring. Having left that area and going through the area of Macedonia, they met up with Luke in Philippi. With Unleavened Bread complete, Luke obviously decided to join him on his trip and sailed with him. From there, it says, “and in five days joined them at Troas.”   The Greek reads “until five days.” It is a way of indicating the duration of the voyage between Philippi and Troas. In Acts 16, the same trip appears to have taken only three days. The reason for the longer trip could be either because there was a contrary wind as they traveled eastward, or it could be that they made a few more stops to offload and onload cargo.   Either way, Luke's providing the specific timeframes shows his meticulous nature. He carefully records such things, providing details often not found in other narratives that he later compiled. Once having reached Troas, Luke next says, “where we stayed seven days.”   Although it is impossible to know for certain, it is generally accepted (and likely) that they stayed a full week to ensure they could participate in one week of fellowship together. This will be seen in the coming verse.   Life application: It is known from this verse that Paul observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Based on this, Judaizers are adamant that we too must observe the Feasts of the Lord. This is obviously wrong for several reasons.   First, Paul was a Jew. Gentiles are not Jews. Gentiles were never given the law, and Christ fulfilled the law, setting it aside through His work. As this is so, it makes as much sense as making a tennis puck to observe something never mandated and which is now obsolete.   Even Paul did not feel compelled to do such things any longer. He clearly indicates that we (including himself) are not under law but under grace. That is found in Romans 6:14, 15 –   “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!”   Second, Paul clearly dismisses such observances in Colossians 2:16, 17 –   “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”   Dietary laws, Sabbaths, and feast observances simply anticipated Christ. They have no substance but are mere shadows that anticipated Him.   Third, Paul explicitly explains what we are to do at Passover and Unleavened Bread in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 –   “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”   The words “let us keep the feast,” meaning the feast that Paul just got done observing, do not mean “observe as Israel observed.” Rather, he explains that the physical rites observed by Israel anticipated spiritual truths. He does this with the words, “not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”   This is exactly what he meant in Colossians 2. The physical rites of Israel were mere shadows that pointed to spiritual truths. Keeping the feast for a week each year is replaced with living in sincerity and truth throughout the year. The feasts only anticipated our lives in Christ.   If this is so, then why did Paul observe the feast? The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 9 –   “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but underlaw toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23   Paul's actions were to bring people to Christ. If that meant observing a now obsolete fest, he was up to it. If it means having a super yummy pulled-pork sandwich at Demetrio's Diner, he was up to it. Paul's only goal was to have people come to Christ.   Don't allow uneducated, legalistic people to ruin your walk with Christ through such silly notions as “It is pleasing to God to observe these points of the law.” If you must observe any point of the law, you must observe the entire law – perfectly. Choosing the law over the grace of Christ is a self-condemning act. You do not have the right to pick and choose which laws you will observe and which you will not. You have placed the entire burden of the law on your shoulders. Good luck with that.   Lord God Almighty, thank You for the grace which is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us to never fall back on our own supposed deeds of personal righteousness, assuming that they can make us right before You. Instead, may we hold fast to what Jesus has done and live our lives from that perspective. Thank You for the freedom we have because of Your grace lavished upon us. Amen.

Summary: I have slowly come to better understand the reality of the spiritual battle we face in Ephesians 6:12. Many years of focusing on Bible doctrine caused me to only pay lip service to the idea that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers.” I have always acknowledged this battle, but I never conceived of it as spiritual wickedness manifesting itself in a physical way. The Lord is revealing to me just how physical these principalities truly are!This Episode brought to you by: Our Premium Subscribers or “Seekers” William C.Aimee J.Bruce C.Scriptures:All Scripture references are from the King James Version of the BibleExodus 20:5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:20, Genesis 3:14, Genesis 4:11-12, Deuteronomy 28:15, Deuteronomy 28:41, Malachi 4:5-6, John 9:1-2, Mark 7:25, Mark 9:17-29, Hebrews 8:12, Malachi 4:2, Jeremiah 17:14, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10Takeaway:I have decided to pray and ask for deliverance from generational curses and unclean spirits in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can we not ask the Lord to heal us today? Can we not seek to break the cycle of a generational curse or portal that was opened that led to demonic oppression in our lives? Even Paul sought to pray for deliverance from a demonic entity, a messenger sent from satan to buffet him. It's up to the Lord to heal us, if it is in accordance with HIs will.Links:Website: https://biblemysteriespodcast.comSubscribe: https:/https://biblemysteries.supercast.comEmail: unlockthebiblenow@gmail.comDonate: ttps://secure.subsplash.com/ui/access/BDJH89

Even Paul, with his great compassion for his fellow Jews, had his limits when it came to his audience.

The Beast's Great Deception (4) (Audio) David Eells - 3/15/23 A Giant on the Levee Adele Frederick - 2/9/23 (David's notes in red) I dreamed it was dark and I was outside. I was in Bridge City near the fire station and the Mississippi River levee. (This is where Avondale Shipyard used to be, and it has now just been sold to Port of South Louisiana and been re-named Avondale Global Gateway.) (This gateway is a gateway to invasion under cover of darkness which should be prayed against.) There were people running around and there was a Chinese woman in a black police uniform telling everyone to go inside. She seemed very nice. We had to go inside to be safe. (They had to go inside so they couldn't see the giant coming over the levee.) Then I looked over at the levee and I saw a giant man, as tall as a skyscraper, standing on it. He was so tall; all I could see was from his thighs down. The rest of his body was surrounded in a thick fog. He was so tall. (This giant man represents a corporate body of people; a secret invasion. The Chinese have bought up many of our toll roads and ports etc. Thick fog indicates a deception.) As soon as I saw the giant, it came to me that this is a hologram and a deception. (Could this be a “look here, don't look over there” false flag, i.e. a distraction?) Then I woke up. When I received this dream, I wrote an email to President Trump saying the following: Mr. President, I have sent you warnings of things to come and have been very accurate. 3 years before the plague I told you it was coming and would ultimately cause the death of many. We just got a warning dream about the newly bought Avondale shipyard. A giant man (probably Chinese, since those in control were Chinese) standing on the levee of the old Avondale shipyard between the water and the land. (A large corporate body invasion over the levee?) Shipping containers come in that way. Since it was sold to someone and renamed Avondale Global Gateway, could it represent a gateway for the Chinese CCP to invade? I heard an invasion under the Canadian border by the CCP was stopped by the US military by bombs 2-3 years ago. Also, the Chinese were run out of the west coast when the military bombed the underground bases there. The DS definitely wants the CCP in here to overthrow the US. It would be interesting to see if leftists bought the port to enable this. When she saw the giant Chinese man as large as a skyscraper standing on the levee, her thought was, This is a deception, it's a hologram. GOD BE WITH YOU. Your servant, David (Adele said, “I've never dreamed anything like this before. I believe this dream is a confirmation of Mary Baxter's revelation from the, The Beast's Great Deception (1) broadcast on 2/12/23.”) Chinese Covertly Planned Famine Isaac Payne - 2/5/23 (David's notes in red) (… As the Chinese spy balloon was coming within proximity to Ohio, I asked Father whose device this was and what was their purpose. I wanted the real news which is why I asked Father in prayer. Marianna and I prayed in agreement for a dream.) Then I had a dream where I was witnessing, in the Spirit, a farmer tending his crop. The farmer was wearing overalls and a red, straw hat and holding a corn hook. The farmer looked like he was from the 1800's based on his attire. (This farmer could represent a corporate body of farmers across the country.) (I remember that the tool looked like a sickle, but I knew it wasn't. I looked it up on the internet and found out that the corn hook was invented in the 1800s. The corn was green and still unripe, not being ready for the harvest. The farmer was dismayed as half his crop was decimated and trampled over and now worthless. (The Chinese spy balloons could have been mapping our countries crops to perform a targeted destruction of America's food supply. Their crops will be partially destroyed by the enemy. This is how communists take over by controlling the food supply.) Surrounding the farmer was United States Soldiers from this 21st century and they were technically advanced. (21st referring to great wickedness, rebellion, and willful sin.) (As we have seen, God will bring judgment through famine.) They were wearing camouflage and surrounding the farmer and his crops on all sides. (Camouflage representing covert operations by the DS military.) They held the farmer at gun point and were blatantly destroying his crops. The farmer was noticeably angry yelling at them in desperation for destroying his lively hood and dumbfounded by the obvious treason of the United States. (There have been massive protests by the farmers all over the world and here, too, farmers have been forced to destroy their own crops on the threat that if they don't it will get sprayed.) Then I woke up. Luk. 21:10-11 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven. (I know there are much greater signs to be seen in the heaven, but I thought this was interesting as this balloon was a sign for me to pray to Father to reveal the plans of the enemy in a dream.) Rom. 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.) (Let's transition here to a spiritual aspect of the enemy's attack. Jesus gave parables of physical crops which represented spiritual crops. The physical was a sign of the spiritual.) Black Dragon Burns Up the Tares Marie Kelton - 3/11/23 (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision. I was looking across farmland that had grass on it. (The grass represents the fleshly in God's farm. Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) The sun was setting, I could only see half of it above the horizon. (The sun is setting on the Babylonian DS Empire.) The sky was a purplish orange color. (Their royalty is being destroyed.) I then saw a huge black dragon come from the sky and land on the farmland. The farmland was covered in thorn bushes that were bare. (The fruitless, porcupine, factious, cursed, apostates destroyed by Babylon on its way down as we have been shown many times.) The dragon (Representing Babylon?) Breathed fire out of it's mouth and burned up the thorn bushes. I saw this a couple of times. (Joseph said, “because the dream was doubled it shall surely come to pass.” It will come to pass because "His recompense is before Him.” Jesus comes first as the Man-child to destroy the Edomites as David did.) Old Weeds Pulled As Revival Begins Claire Pienaar - 10/14/22 (David's notes in red) (I represent the Bride in this dream, as my name means “brilliance”, which denotes the “lampros garment” of righteous acts of the saints as mentioned in Rev 19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) I dreamed I was in my parents' old home. (They represent the original Church and its gospel. Gal 1:8-9: But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. …) (Another Gospel is being preached everywhere with a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, and judgment has to follow.) We were working in the garden. It was unbelievably messy and there were weeds and much poor overgrowth. I did not pull the weeds and bad plants out, only my dad did that but, I was watching and helping to tidy up. (Claire's dad represents the Father who will uproot all the tares and bad overgrowth out of His “garden”. Mat. 15:13 Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. And Mat. 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. The Bride helps to “tidy up” by preaching the unleavened bread of the Word which naturally separates the tares from the wheat.) I was then aware that my grandmother was at a nursing home, and a woman from the home texted my mom to tell her, “There are terrible sounds coming from her room. She is dying. Come quickly”. I thought, “my grandmother is already dead”, so this confused me slightly in the dream. (The mother of the harlots has been dead a long time, but many are still trapped in her dead religions.) (We are spiritual children of the gospel once and for all delivered through Jesus Christ, so the grandmother represents the original apostasy we've all come out of. Even Paul came out of the apostasy of his day.) My mother dropped all the weeds and went to my grandmother's room in the nursing home. …She left me to clean up the rest of the garden with my dad. I knew my grandmother was dead, and I didn't understand why my mother wanted to go to a dead body. (Mat. 8:22 But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.) We bundled all the weeds that were now pulled out of the garden, into big black trash bags. I remember, in the dream, …that I seemed happy to be helping my dad. All I saw in the garden now were only perfect, tall rose stalks with a few beautiful roses. Some were red, some were pink, some were white. (I think the colors might represent the stages of our walk: walking completely under the blood 30-fold, then walking in love 60-fold, then walking in the light of the Son -100fold. The Rose of Sharon is Jesus). (Song 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.) Then, In the dream, I was transported to this place, that was like a wilderness or outdoor church camp for tweens and teenagers. (As we will see, the revival will begin amongst the young people.) My children were there. One young girl named Ruth was sharing her testimony about how she came to Christ. (Ruth means “friend” and her loyalty was rewarded by allowing her, a Moabite [Gentile bride, to be married to David's line, the man-child.] We are all supposed to be loyal to the promises of the Gospel so that we, too, can birth Christ). She said she was star gazing one night and, in the sky, she saw the stars spell out: “He made it ALL. He loves YOU.” My children were stoked to see this message in the stars, as she had taken a photo of it and had it up on a slide show or presentation. I think I might have helped her switch on the little projector. (The Bride helps to “project” Jesus which will contribute to awesome testimonies during this last great revival.) Then I was transported into the image, and I saw the stars come together by His words. Then it zoomed out and I realized she'd only captured one part of the message. The entire complement of stars had a message written in them that He wanted us to see and hear. It was too beautiful and too shiny, and I marveled. I can't remember the message. I think some of the tweens there started seeing bits of the extended message too, because there was much jubilation and many had little fire sparklers they were waving around excitedly. (Revival) (Gen. 15:5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.) I kept on having flashes about my dead grandmother but just chose to enjoy this joyous moment with my children. Then I woke up I asked the Lord for a word by faith at random for this dream and received Ezekiel 39:21 (finger on my glory”): “And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. I asked The Lord for one more word, and received Isaiah 1:16, (in context 16-17): Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Excerpt from Ministering Angels Through UBM (3): Eve said, “I asked the angel Shemuel if he had anything to say” and he said, “A great move of God is coming upon the younger generations. There is a mildew and rottenness that has been cast upon this crop by satan; a perpetual darkness, so that the Son has not shown upon them. They languish and rot in the field and their fruit is poisoned. But the Son is coming to shine down upon them and he will burn up all the disease and mildew of their lives and the heat of His fire will burn through them and cleanse and restore them to the purpose they were created for. There has never been a revival like this that will sweep the whole earth. This will be entirely an act of God; supernatural and undeniable. He will not forsake the youth of this final generation.” (Well, we can see the youth being revived, no longer satisfied with powerless religion.) Angels Ask to Serve Us in the Harvest Revival Brian - 12/14/2007 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that I was standing outside, staring at the sky. It was dark and the sky was full of stars. As I was looking up, the moon and the stars started moving around in a crazy circle very fast. (The moon and stars represent God's people bringing light to the night. This reminds us of Joseph's dream of the sun/Father, moon/Mother, and stars/brethren. Gen. 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. Joseph was the man-child. This was a revival.) When they stopped, some of the stars made the shape of a large fish in the sky and started blinking like a neon sign. (The great fish in heavenly places represents a great corporate harvest of fish after many nights.) What looked like smoke then started coming down from the sky from where the fish was toward me. I was scared and started running toward this house. The smoke was following me. As I went into the house and turned around, much to my surprise, the smoke took on the shape of a huge angel with wings. (The angels that came to us said they were going to help the saints during this great revival.) It then started waving at me very friendly-like. I turned around to tell whoever was in the house that there was an angel outside waving to me. When I turned back around it was daylight and there were now many angels, and they were standing right in front of me. {Heb.1:14} Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?) They looked like people and they all had pen and paper in their hands, ready to write. They greeted me and asked if I needed anything. (The angels serve our needs in the work of bringing in the fish, among other things.) I said, "Can you make sure Lisa Tate and her family are saved?" (Lisa is a childhood friend that I had been having dreams about lately.) One of the angels said, "We can't see that someone is saved but we are here to see if you need anything". ("You have not because you ask not".) The End. The Lord confirmed this dream days later through my 3-year-old nephew who was spending the weekend at my mother's house. He just blurted out on that Sunday afternoon that he had a dream that night that the Sun, Moon, and Stars all got into a boat that was in the water. I have to say the goosebumps grew quickly. (1 Co.15 likens the Sun, Moon and Stars to the different stages of growth of God's people. Here they are caught in a boat like fish.) It was then that the Spirit led me to a book called "The Witness of the Stars" by E. W. Bullinger, where I think I found the fish. I had no idea that the zodiac had the biblical story. I guess Satan has counterfeited everything. This is what I found in book 2, chapter 2: "Piscis Australis" (The Southern Fish) This first constellation is one of high antiquity, and its brilliant star of the first magnitude was a subject of great study by the Egyptians and Ethiopians. It is named in Arabic "Fom al Haut", "The mouth of the Fish". There are 22 other stars. (It is the fishes' hunger from God that causes them to be caught.) The constellation is inseparable from Aquarius. In the Denderah Zodiac it is called Aar, "A Stream". It sets forth the simple truth that the blessings procured by the MAN - the coming seed of the woman, will be surely bestowed and received by those for whom they are intended. There will be no failure in their communication, or in their reception. What has been purchased shall be secured and possessed. (This is true of Jesus and Jesus in the end-time man-child company of Rev.12.) PS: Zodiac, ancient word Zoaz, "the path", or "the way". (The Bible speaks of constellations of the Zodiac positively, but men have turned these good signs into astrology, which is idolatry.) Angels Ask To Serve Us in The Harvest Excerpt from Ministering Angels Through UBM (3): The angel Baruch said, “There is a time coming soon when the fire of our God will be sent down upon His people and the events we've spoken to you about previously will begin to take place. Supernatural gifting and abilities will be bestowed upon the saints by angels with these assignments. (Some don't know that angels manifest the gifts.) These angels will have greater freedom with regards to appearances and communications with the saints. They will have the command to assist and equip the saints in their end time assignments and gifting's, but instructions will still be given to the saints on a “need to know” basis because of the nature of mankind and the limitations of their vessels.” (Mena Lee Jones just had a dream that many people were about to die. Before leaving Egypt to go into the wilderness tribulation, there was the Passover, which was very specific because it took out the Egyptians who were persecuting God's people. This is like when David came to the throne and he judged the Edomites who were persecuting God's people.) The Righteous and the Wicked David Eells In 70 AD the Romans came and slaughtered the Jews who crucified Jesus and His disciples. This was the reason Josephus gave for their destruction. He was hired by the Romans to write their history. There were piles of bodies when the Romans entered the city. Faction fell on the Jews, and they killed each other because they factioned against Jesus and His disciples. Of course, the Christians were commanded to flee to the mountains when they saw this beast army, so the obedient Christians escaped. This is very similar to today, but it is a worldwide scene because the spiritual Jews circumcised in heart are world wide and so are their crucifiers the satanist DS in Church and state. President Trump and the Alliance are doing a God ordained Job in destroying the DS army of crucifiers. They are putting to death traitors, pedophiles, bisexuals, homosexuals, traffickers, child sacrificers, slanderers and liars around the world. Homosexual Agenda: The Second Plague of Frogs Deb Horton sent this revelation to us: Way, way back when, we learned in biology class that frogs can change their sex, sometimes based on external influences, i.e., lack of the opposite sex nearby, chemical pollution, etc., but sometimes for no discernible reason. So, what are we being plagued with today? Gender "fluidity," "transitioning," LGBTQxyz. (The DS in Church and state have common demons of perversion which frogs represent.) Frogs were the second plague of Egypt. Howard Pitman saw a frog demon enter a person that caused him to lust. He also said that frog demons are so nasty that they're outcast as pariahs, even in hell. (Exo.8:1) And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (2) And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: (3) and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs: (4) and the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. (Psa.105:30) Their land swarmed with frogs In the chambers of their kings. ("Chambers" there is "bedrooms.") (Rev.16:13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs. Our Cyrus/Trump and the Alliance are taking down Babylon by the multitudes. And the Babylonians are taking down those apostates who do not believe God's Word and have rebelled against Him. And Jesus is coming to finish the job on these perverts in Church and state. Pray for the elect among them to come out. Sometimes we think things are going too slow, but our Lord is trying and purifying us in the meantime. He is and will separate the tares from the wheat. Because of this He showed me today to concentrate on Psalm 37, which guarantees God will bring down the evil ones who claim to be the Church while they kill God's Children like their Babylonian dragon has done. Psa 37:1-40 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evil doers, Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness. (Because they cannot prosper for their latter end is written. It is a fact shown in all of history since Cain killed Abel.) 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in Jehovah, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. (Doing good while the wicked do bad is the test and Jesus showed us how to overcome in this by denying himself to go to His cross. He is faithful to finish the good work He started in us and to destroy our enemies. All you have to do is look at them and you know this and are so grateful you are chosen.) 4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. (Today we delight in the Lord and praise His Holy name as He binds the enemy and executes vengeance as He said in Psa. 149.) 5 Commit thy way unto Jehovah (Lord, Keep our feet in the narrow path! Thy word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path.); Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. (He is in absolute control of the wicked so we can trust Him.) 6 And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday. (As we take up our cross to follow Him.) 7 Rest in Jehovah (Cease from self works or you fail the test.) and wait patiently for him: (He says vengeance is mine, I will repay.) Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (Fretting is like thinking of what we should do in their regards. It is also worrying about what they think they can do. Greater is He who is in you than He that is in the world, meaning satan and his children.) 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing. (Cast down vain thoughts that make you mad at those who are demon possessed and don't even know what they are doing.) 9 For evil-doers shall be cut off (Look at them; they are already being cut off in spirit and soul and soon to be in body.); But those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land. (Wait for Him, don't get ahead of Him, for there is failure. They do as they please without conscience, but their time is so short, while you are eternal if you abide in Him and let the Word be your conscience. According to the parable of the sower 3 out of 4 fail this trial and those that fail are many times the persecutors.) 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (The land is this carnal life which the spiritual man is sown in. When the old man is dead there is peace. But to the wicked there is no peace says our Lord.) 12 The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (In their hatred they constantly plot the overthrow of the righteous, we have heard them, but…) 13 The Lord will laugh at him; For he seeth that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way. (The true God sees it all. It is the parable of Cain's attack on Abel replayed but Abel had a born again image in Seth. Eve said, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.” Why instead of Abel? It is because Abel and Seth were sons of God but Cain was of the evil one.) 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. (Father says, I will curse them that curse thee. …And they will fall into their own traps.) 16 Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous. (Some have thought that the end of Babylon in the world and church would never come but it is happening.) 18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away. 21 The wicked borroweth (and stealeth), and payeth not again; But the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth. 22 For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land (This is both spiritual and physical.); And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. 23 A man's goings are established of Jehovah (Because He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure as we walk by His faith.); And he delighteth in his way. (It is a delight to walk with the Lord and see His works!) 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For Jehovah upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread. (And so, it shall be.) 26 All the day long he dealeth graciously, and lendeth; And his seed is blessed. (Look at the seed of the wicked and you will see ruin, satanism, lesbianism, bisexuality, homosexuality, theft, fornication, hatred, and all the works of the flesh and hell if they don't repent.) 27 Depart from evil, and do good, And dwell for evermore. 28 For Jehovah loveth justice (So He said men would reap what they sow), And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever: But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. (Paul said, the children are sanctified in the believing parents.) 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein for ever. 30 The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom (For they love Jesus the Word, who is to us wisdom.), And his tongue speaketh justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him. (This is literally so; they are stalkers.) 33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. (Satan tells his children they will rule over the righteous, that they will see their revenge on the righteous, but God says it will not end this way.) 34 Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. (Notice we inherit the Land before the wicked are cut off. The crucifiers have a job to do but their reward follows like it was with Judas.) 35 I have seen the wicked in great power And spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. (Judas had the money of the righteous in his pocket but it was used to bury him.) 36 But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. (Jesus passed by and Judas did not follow.) 37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace. 38 As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; The end of the wicked shall be cut off. (Look at the DS and so it will be with the DS claiming to be the Church.). 39 But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 And Jehovah helpeth them, and rescueth them; He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, Because they have taken refuge in him. (Abide in Him Saints and be happy.)

Wednesday, 8 March 2023   And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. Acts 15:7   In the previous verse, it noted that the apostles and elders came together for the purpose of resolving the matter concerning what to instruct the Gentiles. With that, Luke records, “And when there had been much dispute.”   It is the same word used in verse 15:2, zétésis. It is translated elsewhere as controversy, speculation, and so on. It signifies “a searching.” It is as if there was a formal debate of the matter, and those who were listening were thinking through what was being presented. It is during this course of events that “Peter rose up and said to them...”   Rather, as an aorist participle, it rightly reads, “Peter, having risen up, said to them.” One thing follows the other. By rising, it would indicate that he was prepared to speak. Thus, the audience would direct their eyes and attention to him, attending to what he would say.   It is of note that these are Peter's final recorded words in the book of Acts. It is the last time the name “Peter” is used in the book, and it is for the purpose of explaining salvation by grace through faith apart from the Law of Moses. His words will continue through verse 11 and they will refer to this idea of salvation by grace not only for the Gentiles but for the Jews as well. Understanding this, once risen, he began, saying, “Men and brethren.”   This is the same formal greeting used quite a few times already in Acts. It indicates that not only are they responsible adults, but they are brethren within the faith. It implies that, as brethren, a right attitude concerning his words should be considered. Next, he continues, saying, “you know that a good while ago.”   More appropriately, it reads, “you know that from early days.” In other words, what he will present is a fact that happened early in the establishment of the church. A precedent had been set and it was not to be dismissed or forgotten. It was a lesson that would bear on answering the question that was now being investigated. From there, he continues with, “God chose among us.”   The meaning is probably twofold. First, it is the selection of Peter to be the one to verify what God was doing as the church began. He was the main figure to speak to the people and witness the events of Acts 2. When the Samaritans were evangelized in Acts 8, the Spirit did not come upon them until Peter arrived to verify the matter. And then in Acts 10, it was Peter who was called to evangelize those in Caesarea.   Second, this selection of Peter to be the one to verify these things was at the mouth of the Lord Jesus –   “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'” Matthew 16:17-19   The Lord directed Peter to be the one to validate these things, Peter did validate them, and he is now reminding the church of the things that occurred. With that, he refers to the events of Acts 10, “that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.”   This was the purpose of Peter's designation by Jesus. It was to confirm to the church what had been witnessed. When he refers to what occurred in Acts 10, he provides essentially the same formula as stated by Paul in Romans. The Gentiles hear the gospel and then believe. Paul says –   “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!' 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?' 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:14-17   As for Peter in Acts, he will continue with his words, reminding them of a simple fact that has somehow escaped them.   Life application: Remembering that Paul was a Pharisee, a member of the group who has now been set against Paul in this dispute, it shows how deeply ingrained in us presuppositions and biases can become.   Paul had to literally be called out of that by the risen Lord. He was so adamant about law observance that he could not see beyond his own position. Once called, however, he was able to rightly process his calling. It was apart from any merit at all. Grace was bestowed upon him, and he responded accordingly.   The Pharisees are now being reminded of this as well. Until this point, they probably looked at Paul as an aberration, but their attitudes, not his, will have to be corrected. And how is that accomplished? It is through the words of Peter who witnessed the events that occurred when he was directed to the house of Cornelius.   In other words, it all comes back to the word of the Lord. That word, given to Peter, is now recorded in Scripture. We do not need a visible demonstration of the Spirit coming down upon the Gentiles. We do not need a vision from the Lord calling us to recognize Him and turn from our ways as Paul did.   These things are recorded. The precedent has been set, and the confirmation of them has come through Peter who was told that he would be the one to settle them. Even Paul's ministry was implicitly approved by Peter as is recorded in Galatians 1 –   “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)” Galatians 1:18-20   These things are now recorded. They are sealed. And they provide our guidance and instruction in the word. If you see someone being bullheaded about their presuppositions and biases, there is no need to ask God to give him a sign. The word has been given. If you see a Muslim that doesn't know Jesus, there is no need to believe Jesus will pop into his room at night and convert him. The word has been given and it is our job to tell him what it says. Etc.   Go to the word! This is what God has provided to us for our understanding of Him and what He expects, for our doctrine, and for our daily conduct. Be sure to go to the word!   Lord God, the world – even among Christians – is looking for a show of Your hand in things to direct us. Instead, You have already given us all we need to see that Your hand is in the events around us. The word is given, and it is sufficient. Help us to realize this and to not look to what is hyped up or sensational. May we rely on the precious word that is filled with the knowledge that You are among us. Amen.  

‘Seasons of Change!'by Joshua Scott Zeitz“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”‭‭(Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬) NKJV‬‬Change is inevitable!The older I get, the more I am seeing this.My awesome pastor shared recently, talking about change.He spoke about a car that he used to own when he was younger, how it was at that time, the best thing ever! He eventually sold the car in order to purchase an engagement ring.Now I would say that was a pretty amazing thing to do!He then spoke about what it would be like if he was able to get one of those cars again, to restore it, and sit behind the wheel once more…Admittantly he said it would be nice, and perhaps even fun, but it would never be quite the same.Why is that?Well times change.We grow older.Things that used to appeal to us in certain ways simply don't carry the same weight anymore.And for good reason oftentimes.Even Paul said, “when I was a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things…”As we mature in the Lord our priorities begin to change!The closer we get to Jesus, the more we begin to see things from an eternal perspective, the more we begin to see people like He does!People matter to God!Immensely in fact!He so loves us! We can't stop changeBut here is the Good News!God never changes! His Word is forever settled in Heaven!Why is this so important to see?Because we live in a crazy world where change, and oftentimes unwanted change is always occurringWhether its rapid technological advances, or shifting worldviews based on feelings, the fragile economy, or simply the next health scare, this world is inundated with crazy change!Not to mention the change that occurs in our personal lives, whether it be a change of vocation, a teen graduating high school, a loved one passing away, or simply our bodies growing older,Life is is full of seasons of change!Because of this, It is imperative that we cling to the Word of God like never before!That we put our hope and trust in the One who never changes!We need this stability!The world needs this stability!How can we face the crazy times of constant change?By being anchored to the One who remains the same!I want to end today by sharing a few passages of scripture that will help keep us anchored in the midst of vast seasons of change:“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8) NKJVThe Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2) NKJV“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.”‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭119:89-90‬) NKJV‬‬“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”‭‭(James‬ ‭1:17‬) NKJV“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose UNDER heaven:”But the Great News is this: We serve a good good Father whose throne is IN Heaven, and He never changes!

     When someone hurts me, I sometimes react and feel the need to seek revenge. That is, to take the matter into my own hands and hurt the other person so that I feel the scales of justice are balanced. Revenge starts with a mental attitude in which we seek to harm an offender for the injury or offence they caused, whether that injury or offense is real or imagined. The desire to retaliate against the offender is generally followed by action to hurt them, whether physically, psychologically, emotionally, socially, financially, or legally.      The desire for revenge can be coupled with very strong emotions that help inflame the injustice in our mind and to relive it over and over, which can eventuate in mental bondage as we keep recalling the hurt. Also, an injured person may feel helpless and victimized by an oppressor, so hurting the other person can make one feel empowered. It is true that personal revenge can offer a temporary sense of closure or satisfaction, but it can also establish a pattern of behavior that can be exhausting and endless, as we feel the need to retaliate against all perceived offenders. God's Word speaks to the issue of dealing with offenders who cause hurt, giving directions on how we are to respond.      First, there is the positive directive concerning how to treat offenders. Jesus said, “I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). As Christians, we live in a fallen world and are surrounded by fallen people who, often unknowingly, help advance Satan's agenda. These fallen people are identified as our enemies who operate by the mental attitude of hatred, openly curse us, and will mistreat us if given the opportunity. Being an adversary who operates on hate, and who curses and mistreats us, are all things that do not rise to the level of dangerous harm. Even a slap on the cheek, or stealing our clothing (Luke 6:29) does not constitute a life-threatening situation that requires self-defense. Loving others does not mean: We expose ourselves to unnecessary harm. There were times when God's people hid from their enemies (1 Ki 18:13; Acts 9:23-25). Jesus faced hostile people, who at one time “picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:59). Paul was greatly hurt by a man named “Alexander the coppersmith,” whom he told Timothy, “did me much harm” (2 Tim 4:14a). Paul then warned Timothy, saying, “Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching” (2 Tim 4:15). We trust all people. Jesus loved everyone, but He did not entrust Himself to all people, even believers. John tells us there were many who “believed in His name” (John 2:23), but then tells us that “Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men” (John 2:24). We fail to rebuke others when needed. When Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, He passed by a village of the Samaritans (Luke 9:51-52) whose residents “did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem” (Luke 9:53). Luke tells us, “When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?'” (Luke 9:54). But this was a wrong attitude, so Jesus “turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what kind of spirit you are of'” (Luke 9:55). We interact or befriend people who are hostile to God (Prov 13:20). Solomon said, “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself” (Prov 22:24-25). Scripture also states, “do not associate with a gossip” (Prov 20:19), and “do not associate with rebels” (Prov 24:21), for “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33; cf. 1 Cor 5:11). The apostle Paul, when writing to Timothy, described the sinful attitudes and actions of people committed to godlessness (2 Tim 3:1-5a), and told his friend to “avoid such men as these” (2 Tim 3:5). We forfeit the right to defend ourselves physically or legally when we come under attack. Paul, who at one time took a beating with rods (Acts 16:22-23), later used legal force by exercising his rights as a Roman citizen to protect himself from a flogging that might have killed him (Acts 22:25-29). And Paul eventually appealed to Caesar, hoping to gain a just trial (Acts 25:7-12).      By wisdom we come to know when to turn the other cheek and when to stand up and push back, as self-defense is valid if the injury rises to the level of great physical harm, is life-threatening, or threatens to harm or kill a loved one (see my article on Is Self-Defense Biblical?). Even though we may defend ourselves, we must never stoop to the place of hatred toward our enemies, but must always maintain love for them and be willing to forgive and help if/when possible.      As Jesus' disciples, we are to love (ἀγαπᾶτε) our enemies, do good (καλῶς ποιεῖτε) to those who hate us, bless (εὐλογεῖτε) those who curse us, and pray (προσεύχεσθε) for those who mistreat us. All four of Jesus' directives are in the imperative mood, which means they are commands to be understood and obeyed. To love our enemy means we care about them and seek God's best in their life. To do good to those who hate us means we are kind and giving when possible. To bless our enemy means we wish them well rather than harm. To pray for our enemy means we ask God to save and bless them, even though they seek to mistreat us. Love manifests itself by doing good, blessing, and praying for those who hate us. This is not mere passivity, but requires great discipline of the mind and will, which can be contrary to our emotions. Nor does such behavior imply weakness on our part. Jesus, the theanthropic person, possessed all power sufficient to destroy His enemies, yet He restrained His power for the sake of love and grace. Divine truth, not feelings, must be what guides our thoughts, words, and actions. According to Joel Green, “Love is expressed in doing good—that is, not by passivity in the face of opposition but in proactivity: doing good, blessing, praying, and offering the second cheek and the shirt along with the coat.”[1] Paul, when writing to Christians in Rome, used similar language, saying, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Rom 12:14). As Christians, when we think and act this way, we are like the “sons of the Most-High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:35). This is accomplished by faith and not feelings. Sproul is correct when he states, “We may not be able to control how we feel about them, but we certainly can control what we do about those feelings.”[2]      Second, there is a negative directive in which we are not to retaliate or seek personal revenge. The Lord said, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD” (Lev 19:18). The apostle Paul said, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people” (1 Th 5:15). Peter wrote, “All of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (1 Pet 3:8-9). Solomon wrote, “He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house” (Prov 17:13). He also wrote, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil;' wait for the LORD, and He will save you” (Prov 20:22). Concerning this verse, Allen Ross states, “Leave retribution to the Lord. Let him bring about a just deliverance…The righteous should not take vengeance on evil, for only God can repay evil justly (cf. Rom 12:19–20).”[3] Bruce Waltke says this verse “suggests that the Lord will help the disciple by compensating him justly for the wrong done to him. The Helper will both compensate the damage and punish the wrongdoer.”[4] And David Hubbard adds: "Vengeance is an activity too hot for any of us to handle. Its motivation is selfish; its execution is usually extreme; its result is to accelerate conflict not to slow it down. In short, vengeance is God's business not ours (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30). All human sin is sin against Him, so He is the ultimate victim; only He can judge accurately the damage done; only He can distribute fairly the blame; only He can exact freely the proper penalty. We are not entitled to ‘play God' at any time."[5]      The challenge for us is to put the offense in God's hands, trusting He sees, and that He will dispense justice in His time and way. For this reason, Scripture states, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God” (Rom 12:17-19a; cf. Deut 32:35; Heb 10:30). Again, this requires discipline of mind and will, and is executed by faith and not feelings.      Third, place the matter in the Lord's hands and let Him dispense justice in His time and way. The Bible teaches that God is the “Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25) and that He dispenses justice upon those whose who deserve it. Scripture reveals the Lord is a “God of vengeance” (Psa 94:1) and will punish the wicked. And Nahum tells us, “A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies” (Nah 1:2). God told the Israelites if they listen to His voice, “Then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Ex 23:22). Paul, after instructing Christians not to seek their own revenge, explained that God will handle the matter, saying, “for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord” (Rom 12:19b; cf. Deut 32:35; Heb 10:30). And again, “It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (2 Th 1:6). Even Paul did not seek his own revenge when hurt by Alexander the coppersmith, but said, “the Lord will repay him according to his deeds” (2 Tim 4:14). According to Warren Wiersbe, “The word vengeance must not be confused with revenge. The purpose of vengeance is to satisfy God's holy law; the purpose of revenge is to pacify a personal grudge.”[6]      It is true that God may extend grace to His enemies and those who hurt us, as He gives them time to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness. We must always remember that we were God's enemies and terrible sinners before we came to faith in Christ, and God waited patiently for us (see Rom 5:8-10), for God is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). But God's grace does not last forever. At death, all of life's decisions are fixed, and what the unbeliever does with Christ in time determines his eternal destiny. If a person goes his entire life rejecting God's grace, not believing in Christ as Savior (John 3:16; 1 Cor 15:3-4), then he will stand before God at the Great White Throne judgment and afterwards will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:11-15). It is at that time that God will deal out “retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Th 1:8-9). Wiersbe states, “Certainly, the wicked who persecute the godly do not always receive their just payment in this life. In fact, the apparent prosperity of the wicked and difficulty of the godly have posed a problem for many of God's people (see Psa 73; Jer 12:1; Hab 1). Why live a godly life if your only experience is that of suffering? As Christians, we must live for eternity and not just for the present.”[7]      Fourth, if we fail to follow the Lord's directives to love, do good, bless, and pray for our enemies, and instead decide to take matters into our own hands and seek revenge, then we are sinning against God and open ourselves up to divine discipline. The very punishment we may seek to inflict upon our enemies may be administered to us by the Lord, and this because we are walking by sinful values rather than being obedient-to-the-Word believers. However, if we put the matter in the Lord's hands and let Him dispense justice in His time and way, we can rest assured that He will bring it to pass, for He says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Rom 12:19b), and it is “just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (2 Th 1:6). Plus, when we learn and live God's Word by faith it frees us from the tyranny of hurt feelings which can be fatiguing to the mind and toxic to the soul. Summary      In closing, we are to obey the words of Jesus, who  tells us to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). Assuming the hostility never rises to the level of requiring self-defense (which does not negate loving the attacker), we are to tolerate the hostility and abuse and respond in love by doing good, blessing, and praying for our enemies. It's ok to hurt, but not to hate. Operating from divine viewpoint, we walk by faith and trust God to handle the matter, knowing He is the “Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25) and that “it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (2 Th 1:6), as God states, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Rom 12:19b). In this way, we will follow the example set by Jesus, who, “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; and while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet 2:23). If we live as God directs, abiding by the royal family honor code, then He will dispense justice upon our attackers in His time and way. The challenge for us is to discipline ourselves to learn God's Word and live by faith, not our hurt feelings or circumstances.     [1] Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 272. [2] R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 115–116. [3] Allen P. Ross, “Proverbs,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 1046. [4] Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 15–31, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005), 152. [5] David A. Hubbard and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Proverbs, vol. 15, The Preacher's Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 308. [6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 194. [7] Ibid., 194.

Even Paul needed encouragement sometimes when it came to representing Jesus.

Day 133 Today's Reading: Romans 16 Occasionally on Sundays after I'd finished the sermon, we'd completed the last song, and I'd said the final amen, I'd realize I forgot to announce something to the congregation. I'd have to tell our sound technician to turn the mic back on so I could tell the people what I forgot. I'm in good company. Even Paul forgot something in Romans and had to essentially tell the sound technician to turn his mic back on. Today's reading of our final chapter in Romans is one of Paul's most overlooked and undervalued. They are words spoken after the microphone is turned off. Look with me at Romans 15:33. It seems like a great ending prayer for this amazing Epistle. Paul usually ends his Epistles with short doxologies. Here he writes, “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” “Amen” means it's over, time to go, time to eat. Then Paul stops everyone and says, “Wait, wait, wait! I forgot something. Turn the mic back on. I missed a huge announcement!” And then in one of the most amazing chapters that doesn't get its props, Paul goes on for the next twenty-seven verses before he gives his second amen. Here's the second doxology, the second closing: “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 16:27). Between those two amens Paul mentions thirty-three names! Go back through today's reading and count them all. He starts with “our sister Phoebe who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea” (verse 1) and spends twenty-four verses listing people who he wants to recognize. Thirty-three names of people who helped him in ministry. Thirty-three names who made Paul's ministry possible. He's recognizing them with a “there's no way we do what we do without these people.” One of the greatest coaches of any sports franchise or university has to be John Wooden of UCLA. He coached his teams to ten national championships in twelve years. He had an 800-winning percentage. He is an icon. In A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, he wrote "When one of my players scored, he knew he was supposed to point to the teammate who had passed him the ball or made the block that allowed that basket to happen. It wasn't about deflecting praise, but about sharing it with everyone who was working hard as a part of the team." Today many athletes thump their chests while the team has to follow them around as they carry on without giving any recognition to anyone who helped them get there. When was the last time you saw a defensive end sack a quarterback and then turn around and point to every defensive lineman who made the hole so he can get in? Never! He stands in the middle of the field as if it were his talent alone that gave him that moment and forgot to point to all the players who made it happen for him. Wooden said his dad taught him, “There is nothing you know that you haven't learned from someone else. . . . He . . . was reminding us to always be thankful for each lesson an individual offers, wittingly or unwittingly, because those lessons become a kind of borrowed experience.” I found this short course in human relations from an unknown, but very wise, author: The six most important words: I admit I made a mistake The five most important words: You did a good job The four most important words: What do you think? The three most important words: I love you The two most important words: Thank you The one most important word: We The least important word: I After Ronald Reagan became the fortieth president, he put a plaque on his desk to remind him of an important piece of wisdom: “There is no limit to how far a person may go as long as he doesn't care who gets the credit.”